Where Were You When I Needed You?
by Ryoko Metallium
Summary: AU Eps. 126 What would happened if Inuyasha didn't make it time? What would happened if he was just one second too late? Kagome has been kidnapped and brainwashed by Naraku, becoming Inuyasha's enemy. UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Where Were You When I Needed You?

Author: Ryoko Metallium

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takashi, Shogakun Inc., and Sunrise. I'm only borrowing them. I promise I'll give them back.**

**Author Notes: ATTENTION! THE AUTHOR IS EVIL! What can I say? I was feeling particularly nasty when I came up with this idea. This arrived after having one very bad day at work and with no one to take it out on, well…you could probably guess the rest. This gave me a reason to totally dump on Inu-yasha since he hasn't been particularly one of my favorite people at the moment. Anyway, why don't I shut up now and let you read already.**

**Special thanks goes out to my wonderful beta editor Kristen Sharpe! Girl is the best when it comes to reading my work and pointing out my mistakes – but in a good way! I mean it Kris! You've done it again and I thank you!**

**Enjoy!

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Chapter One: All the Things He Said

"The children of evil are surely insane"-Judith Moriae

* * *

**I'm in serious s--t, I feel totally lost  
If I'm asking for help it's only because  
Being with you has opened my eyes  
Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise? **

I keep asking myself, wondering how  
I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out  
Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me  
Nobody else so we can be free

"**All the Things She Said"- t.A.T.u**

It was matter of life and death.

Timing was everything.

With every step that Inu-yasha took, he didn't feel like he was gaining any ground. In his mind, he wasn't getting anywhere. Despite his hanyou's speed, he felt himself lagging behind no matter how hard he pushed. As he ran, tree branches whipped across his face but Inu-yasha paid it very little attention. His main focus at the moment was to follow the lingering scent of the wind mistress Kagura. It was still strong thankfully, which would make the process of tracking her down a lot easier. The sooner he found the demon the better, he thought as his legs continued to push harder and harder. Truth be told, it wasn't Kagura he was looking to find. It was the person she took with her that he was worried about.

'_Damn it! I'm such an idiot!'_ the hanyou cursed himself in the back of his mind.

It was all a set up.

He had fallen victim to a cruel trick. He had believed the lies of the monk who told him that the undead miko Kikyo, who had somehow survived her encounter with Naraku, lay injured in a village somewhere. Despite his better judgment, Inu-yasha went off in search of Kikyo, leaving behind his friends, and completely unaware of what was really going on. Had he had known, had Inu-yasha known that everything was just a plot to get to Kagome, the hanyou wouldn't have been so blind. He wouldn't have left her behind like he did. He knew that the mere mention of Kikyos' name bothered Kagome, but still he left her, strangely at the persistence of Kagome herself.

The pain of knowing that he had failed to save the miko from death yet again made his heart ache with unforgiving pain, and he would've given anything to make it go away. It must've seemed like a god send; a miracle when he heard that Kikyo may still be alive. But, what price did he have to pay? What would be sacrificed? His selfishness would come back to haunt him the moment he realized he had been duped by a lie. Kagome's scent haunted his mind as he ran. He could imagine the fear she felt, just how alone she must have been at the hands of her captors, what it must have been like for her knowing that her protector was not coming to save her. He had abandoned her.

'_I lost Kikyo…and then I thought that I was the only one suffering' _he thought. _'I acted so selfish that I couldn't even see the truth right in front of me. Am I about to lose something that is dear to me?'_

At that moment, another tree branch seemed to appear out of nowhere, slapping him right in the face and knocking him flat on his back. Dazed, scattered thoughts jumbled together like broken pieces of a shattered mirror. The pieces floated in his mind to form one image, one truth. Kikyo had perished at the hands of his enemy and he was unable to save her. That was his burden to bear, but to live with the thought that he had a hand in the loss of another life was almost too much. In fifty years time, Inu-yasha had made the same mistake again. In a sense he had practically handed Kagome over to Naraku. Like a whisper, he could almost hear Kagome's voice calling out to him, reaching for someone to hear her.

'_Inu-yasha……?'_

Collecting himself, he sprung up from the ground, bounded forward into a rushed sprint. He pushed aside those frightening thoughts and hurried as fast as he could back on the scent's trail. The smell was growing fainter. He had to find Kagome fast at the risk of losing the scent all together. If that were to happen, then he would've failed again and Kagome would be lost to him forever.

"WAIT FOR ME, KAGOME! WAIT FOR ME UNTIL I GET THERE!" he shouted to no one in particular, hoping that maybe fate would take pity on his cries. Kagome's life depended on him getting there in time. Right then, he made a promise. If he found Kagome safe and sound, then he would never leave her alone again. He would never go chasing some wild rumor about Kikyo again. Inu-yasha prayed to himself; if he found Kagome alive then…

"DON'T YOU DIE ON ME KAGOME!"

* * *

Her body felt cold.

Her mind was clouded.

Kagome was trapped between her own sanity and the cruel words being spewed from the lips of the pasty faced infant she held in her arms. Time was fading quickly for her; she could feel it. She could feel the grip the infant had on her heart tighten as he tried to worm his way back into her soul. For a brief moment, she had managed to break free from his influence. With what hope she could muster, her heart called out for her protector again, praying that he would hear her. But it was the spawn of Naraku that she held closely to her body that answered her pleas. He didn't miss a moment to act on her emotions. The ominous and wicked aura began to fill the small shrine house with an icy chill of evil. Even Kagura took notice of the change as she looked around her, taking in the sheer darkness emitting from the child.

Malice was everywhere, spreading quickly like a stain.

"What are you doing?" Kagura asked.

"Wait," the baby replied, "I'm going to try again. This girl may have some will of her own left over, but it will not save her. She may have some power but she is still human regardless. I will find the darkness in her yet; she will not escape me."

Once again, Kagome felt her mind being flooded with thoughts of doubt and despair. She was bombarded ruthlessly. Kagome did what she could to shut him out to silence his slander. If he succeeded in tearing her down, her mind then would be his to bend. Kagura still held the tainted jewel shard in her fingers ready to implant it into her. She had said that with that shard, Kagome would be reduced to mindless servant, no different that Kohaku.

She couldn't let that happen and yet as the baby continued to speak, as his words tore through her mental barrier, she could feel herself falling deeper and deeper under his influence. Gradually, her ability to withstand his abuse gave way. With every word, Kagome found herself unable to resist.

She was losing the battle fast.

One more little step and it would all be over.

"_Do you remember Kagome? Do you remember how it felt when you learned that Kikyo had been killed?"_

The infant's voice entered her mind and began to weave his web of deceit. Again, Kagome's body felt frigid, weakening by the minute. The room swam slowly into her vision: black, inky and dim like a tripping nightmare where images of sadness, fear, pain, anger cruelty blended together in a fiendish plot against her. Reality was twisted to fit his lies. Fading hope was lost, and she started to listen. Lie after lie was spun to incur her trust. It was working. The infant could sense her resistance dwindling and he grinned in satisfaction. He quickly gave the word to the wind demon to implant the shard. As she did so, he continued to rape her mind with his words.

"_Remember everything Kagome. Remember how glorious it felt when you found out that Kikyo had died. You were happy that the priestess had perished. She was gone forever. She had stood between you and Inu-yasha for so long, and when Naraku killed her, you were relieved. Admit it; if Naraku hadn't killed her, you would've done it yourself."_

"That's not true!" she cried out through the inclosing madness.

"_You know it's true. Don't try to lie to me, Kagome. I can see right through you straight into your soul. You've always hated Kikyo, ever since you learned of the bond she shared with Inu-yasha. Every time Inu-yasha thought of her, it hurt you inside. You remember that pain, don't you? What that felt like? What makes you think that when he looks at you, he's not thinking of her? You know that you've thought that more than once, right?"_

"No…I mean….yes…I mean…"

"_He's using you Kagome. All Inu-yasha in is interested in the jewel shards and becoming a full demon. He's been lying to you. Who knows? Perhaps once the jewel was whole again, he would've used it to become human, or to wish Kikyo back to life. Face it. Face the truth Kagome; you mean nothing to him."_

Sadness consumed her. Hot tears drained from her eyes, cascading down her face and dripping to the shrine floor. Pain filled her heart as she listened. She wanted to ran, away from all that she feeling and hide someplace. With her spirit crushed, she held the infant tighter. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered.

"_I want to help you."_

"Help me?"

"_Look at you; so much pain and betrayal. I know that you don't want to feel like this. I know that this is not what you wanted. You've given up so much for that half- demon, and how does he repay you? He deserts you for a corpse. You feel worthless don't you? You feel alone?"_

"Yes…" Something broke inside her.

"_You want to hate him. You want to hate her. You want to hate them both for what they've done to you. You used to be so strong, and now look at what you've been reduced to. You're weak. But it's okay to feel like this. It's okay to hate, for it is your right to. You hate them…" _the infant's voice soothed.

"I…hate…what?"

"_Let it go Kagome. Let your hate go. Submit yourself to it and accept the truth of what I'm telling you, and what you've always known. You never had a place in this world. Inu-yasha has betrayed you, left you for Kikyo. Why else would he leave you to go and look for her? He cares nothing for you; never has. Is this really what you wanted?"  
_

"No…" Her will was shattered.

"_What will you do now then? You can not continue this way. Everything that you've come to know has been a lie. Everything is a lie, Kagome. But I can help you. I can help you forget that lie, and the pain of it all. You want to forget don't you?"_

"Yes…" The jewel shard brightly glowed with evil. The room blackened with darkness.

"_Free yourself from the pain Kagome. Trust me, I can save you from it all if you will just let me in. You want to be free don't you?"_

"Yes…"

She pressed the baby so close to her body, it was almost like he was burying himself into her. Like his body and hers were merging together and becoming one. The infant advanced. He could feel Kagome's aura on the verge of breaking. Her soul was within his grasp; all he had to do was crush it.

"_You've been in so much pain for so long Kagome. Everything that you've had to endure all because of Inu-yasha's yearning for Kikyo; don't you think it's time to stop the hurting?"_

"I don't want to hurt anymore…yes."

"_You want to hate him, don't you? Say it."_

"…yes…"

"_You want him to pay for the pain, don't you? Say it."_

"…yes…"

The darkness inside Kagome's heart had spread to the very core of her soul. The loathing sound of her voice even surprised Kagura as she watched the infant clinch tighter to Kagome's breast. His very form sinking deeper and deeper into her flesh. Her body trembled as bottled rage loomed to a head, bubbling towards the surface. With one final act of cruelty, the infant clasped onto the trembling soul and sent it plunging into oblivion.

"_It's time Kagome, time to face reality and the truth. Inu-yasha is not here. Inu-yasha is not coming back, because he cares only for Kikyo and not you. He's not coming back," _the voice spilled over into a scream resounding through her skull. _"You know the truth Kagome! Let your hate take you over, let you and I become one and the same forever! You want to hate them all! Say it! Inu-yasha is never coming back! Say it! You want to hate Inu-yasha!"_

"YES!"

* * *

Inu-yasha came to an abrupt stop when he heard the explosion.

He had just about hit the end of the scents' trail when he had come upon a small shrine house built into a mountain above him. The others were close behind, flying on Kirara to keep up with his speed. The hanyou was just about to bound up to the shrine house when suddenly the mountain shook violently. The shrine was shrouded with an ominous bright light followed by a loud blast like a bomb. The magnitude of the blast rattled the mountain so hard it sent an avalanche tumbling. The two-tailed cat soared up higher out of reach. Inu-yasha jumped, using the approaching rocks as steps to boost himself higher towards what was left of the shrine. Dodging falling debris, he cried out, hoping to get a response.

"Kagome! Hang in there, I'm coming!"

* * *

Kagura looked on in amazement.

Her pale sister standing next to her wore no expression.

The infant was gone, but Kagome remained.

The priestess girl sat on the floor, hunched over with her hair draped over her face like a veil. Her breathing sounded wheezy. An unexpected change had taken place in her that the wind demon didn't see coming. It was then she realized why Naraku ordered her to bring the infant to the priestess, why she had to trick the humans at the palace in order to kidnap the girl. A lusty and cunning smile arose on her face which she hid behind her fan.

"Naraku…I have to say I'm impressed. So what will you do now that you have Kagome? Use her to search for the remaining shards just like Inu-yasha? What exactly is going through that sick mind of yours right now?"

She looked up at that moment as Inu-yasha appeared, landing effortlessly and brandishing his sword with his friend following in close behind.

"Ahh, Inu-yasha…you're late," said Kagura. "Although I must say, I hadn't expected to see you here at all. I take it that you didn't find Kikyo after all. Pity."

"Shut it bitch!" the dog-demon roared back. "You're gonna regret making a fool out of me! Just tell me what you did with Kagome and…"

It was then that he saw the girl still sitting on the floor motionless.

"Kagome!"

"Well well, like I said I hadn't expected you to show up this soon. And I'm afraid to say that you're a little bit too late. My business is done here."

"What are you babbling about? Just what the hell did you do to her!"

"Kagome dear," Kagura continued, "look who's here. It's Inu-yasha; he's come back for you."

Kagome's body twitched suddenly at the sound of the hanyou's name and her head hung low as a shaky moan escaped her lips. Her movements were sluggish at first when she steadily rose to her feet. Her weight swayed from side to side trying to find her balance. The eyes of the hanyou darted from Kagome then up to the face of Kagura, where he happened to notice the smile widening into a devilish sneer. As Kagome made it to her feet, her body straightened out with a long deep sigh followed by an eerie violet miasma excreting itself from seemingly no where. Miroku, who had been watching the scene unfold just as intently as Inu-yasha, suddenly felt a coldness rush through him. His senses flared up and he gasped.

"Inu-yasha, something's not right; not right at all. It's Kagome's aura," he said. "I can hardly sense it, like it's not there at all. It's almost like it's being suppressed by something else."

"What do you mean suppressed!"

"I mean Kagome's aura doesn't feel alive anymore. All that I'm sensing is Naraku's aura."

"What!"

Just then, the miasma lessened and another crippled moan escaped Kagome.

"Innnnuuuuyyyyasssshhhaaa…."

Hearing the zombie-like groan, sounding so inhuman caught the demon's attention. The girl's voice echoed weakness he had never heard in her before. What had happened to all the strength she had always possessed; had been replaced into depletion by a frail spirit? Cautiously, Inu-yasha took a step forward. "Kagome? Can you hear me?"

" nevvvver coming…baaaaack…never coming back…" the girl replied.

Her head lifted up to stare into the wind demon's face. Kagura stifled a laugh behind her fan as their eyes met. Giggling silently, she glanced at Inu-yasha.

"It seems that you've lost" she cooed. "Naraku has not only stolen Kikyo from you once again, but now he has taken Kagome as well. Now, she is nothing more than a hollow shell of her former self. She's the same as Kohaku now."

The audible gasp from the demon slayer was registered by everyone. Reality slapped itself in Inu-yasha's face as he realized the mistake he made. Kagome's once proud and strong spirit was destroyed, and as Kagura said, all that remained of her was emptiness. Her mind was frozen in the moment she realized that the hanyou had left her behind to search for Kikyo. Beyond that there was nothing. Though Inu-yasha tried his hardest to reach her, she could not hear him. She did not move at the sound of his voice. She didn't register him at all. On and on, over and over Kagome repeated to herself the same monotone babble, drowning out Inu-yasha completely making any effort of talking to her useless.

" he's never coming back…he's never coming back," she rambled.

"Kagome, snap out of it! I'm right here!"

Inu-yasha's hand then darted forward, reaching out to the Kagome. He grabbed her by her shoulder and tried to get her to look at him in the eye, but the moment he touched her, something coursed through her body. Like someone had scorched her from the inside, she recoiled away in a screaming rage. The hanyou was then sent back as a powerful barrier was erected suddenly shielding Kagome, Kagura and Kanna. As Inu-yasha stumbled back from the blast, he watched Kagome turn towards him. Her once beautiful eyes were clouded with the darkness of betrayal and sadness so deep one could drown in their depth. With her brows narrowed in a cruel stare, she looked at Inu-yasha and with the power of the barrier began ripping up the shrine floor around them in a flaring vortex.

"Kagome!"

The others shielded the eyes against the bright light coming from the vortex. As it grew, whatever was left of the small shrine house was sucked into the vortex with broken pits and pieces of wood splinters flying through the air. It was too dangerous to linger any longer. Making a quick dash to safety, the hanyou and his companions exited the shrine just as it exploded in a fiery blast. Inu-yasha landed effortlessly to the ground just in time to see the shield bubble around Kagome and the incarnations starting to rise from the inferno, lifting up towards the sky. Inu-yasha felt his heart leap into his throat as Kagome started to drift from his sight. Her cold expression stared down at him accusingly with thin tear streaks trailing down her face.

"Kagome! Kagome, **NO!" **Inu-yasha made an effort to dash after her, but Miroku's hand on his shoulder stayed him. They watched helplessly as Kagome faded from their sights, the hate in her eyes evident to the damage done to her. Her lips curled back in a sneer. Inu-yasha's voice raised to its loudest tone as he roared out to her again, **"KAGOME!"**

"He's never coming back…he's chosen Kikyo."

And with that, the bubble faded from sight. The atmosphere turned tragically sober for all the remaining shard hunters. Inu-yasha stood as still as a statue, his eyes remained glued to the sky as if hoping he would see the bubble reappear. He hardly acknowledged the monk's hand still on his shoulder, squeezing it tender in remorse, nor did he acknowledge the whimpering cries coming from Shippo as he turned to Sango seeking her embrace for comfort. Kirara whined softly, a sign of her own grief. Inu-yasha's head started shake, somehow trying to convince himself that what just happened wasn't true. His fist clenched in anger. His eyes clenched shut as his knees gave out and he slowly sank to the ground. He dug his claws deep into the soil, biting his lip hard to keep his rage bottled up.

"So, it seems that all of this was a ploy to get to Kagome," said Miroku, stating the obvious. He shook his head, turning to Sango to see her disappointment was just like his own. "I can only imagine what Naraku plans on doing with her. Still, I can not shake the feeling that this is somehow our fault too. He laid the trap, and we walked right into it."

Inu-yasha let out a small whisper. "No, it's my fault. I was the one who was supposed to protect her. This is all my fault." At this point, he could feel tears falling and hitting the back of his tight hands. The trembling could be seen coursing through his entire body.

"If I hadn't left her behind…if I hadn't gone off on my own…if I wasn't searching for Kikyo then…" he gritted out, finally raising his fist to the sky, slamming fist after fist into the earth so hard the soil cracked underneath from the force. He repeated this action again and again until the skin of his knuckles peeled away and all was left was a bloody mess. Inu-yasha's body shuddered with exhaustion when he stopped, but he didn't feel any better. The others watched the scene unfold before them; unable to help the turmoil that hanyou was no doubt feeling. Unable to hold in his composure any longer, Inu-yasha let out another roar of anger, throwing back his head towards to sky.

"**Naraku, what more can you take away from me?"**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Where Were You When I Needed You?

Author: Ryoko Metallium

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takashi, Shogakun Inc., and Sunrise. I'm only borrowing them. I promise I'll give them back.**

**Author's Notes: WOW! What a response! First, I like to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews and comments. You guys are great! Also, special thanks as always to my wonderful beta editor Kristen Sharpe for looking over my work and correcting my grammar, which pretty much is at its worst at times. Some minor notes, this chapter has its' moments of extreme evilness on my part and on the character, so try to bear with me. Also, at the time that I posted this, the ruler button wasn't working , so in order to separate the scenes, I had to improvise using zeros. I hate how it looks, but I know that a lot of you were waiting for this next installment, so I went ahead anyway.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two: Chasing the Devil**

"Evil is beyond the reach of no man"

-Ted Dekker

Two months.

That's how long it was before they heard any word on the whereabouts of Naraku.

Two months had gone by without so much as a flicker of hope that demon would appear again. An anguishing waiting game for all the shard hunters as they hung by a moment that some kind of sign would come to them, but nothing surfaced. Days passed painfully slow, making them seem like years almost. Hunting for the remaining Shikon shards had inadvertently taken a backseat as now the focus was on searching for Naraku. Inu-yasha was adamant about finding him soon and without delay. Had he not considered himself burdened by Miroku and Sango's inability to keep up with his pace, the search would have gone a lot quicker. But the two were only human after all. And truthfully, the hanyou never considered his companions a burden, for it was them who kept him going following Kagome's kidnapping.

There were numbers of terrible thoughts that went though Inu-yasha's mind, too horrible and maddening for the hanyou to even think of sometimes. He knew all too well of the horrors that Naraku was capable of, the many kinds of sick and twisted ways he could use to bend any soul to his submission, and every minute of every passing of those many days, Inu-yasha found himself haunted just imagining what that monster could be doing to Kagome.

Undoubtedly, he still blamed himself for everything. There wasn't a time when he couldn't recall the accusing glare Kagome bore on her face the day Naraku stole her away from him, nor could he forget her spiteful words she had continued to mutter again and again. Every memory cut him so deep, he actually feltl his soul bleed.

"_He's never coming back…he has chosen Kikyo…"_

It was only with the words of reassurance from either the monk or taijiya that would bring him back out of his heartache. At times where the reality of it all got to be too much, Inu-yasha would run off to take out his anger and frustration on a few unsuspecting trees. It wasn't hard to miss the assault of Kaze no Kizus ripping away an entire forest, sending splinters to the winds. That's how Miroku and Sango would often find him. Now, tonight, after a few swings, they'd come across the sulking dog demon following the leveling of a few dozen redwoods. The Tetsusaiga's blade thrust in the ground and Inu-yasha collapsed over the hilt catching his breath.

"I think you missed a spot over there, Inu-yasha" Miroku joked, trying to break the tension.

Without so much of a retort, Inu-yasha kept his back to the monk, ignoring his joke. That morning the group set out from Kaede's village after hearing about strange happenings going on in the east. Rumors had been spreading of villages subjected to vicious attacks by some kind of powerful demon, leaving nothing left but the smoldering ashes of destroyed homes and too many dead. Survivors were minimal, but those that had fled from their homes spoke of this demon as being accompanied by a boy dressed in demon slayer attire and girl in strange clothing. Needless to say, Inu-yasha needed no convincing that this could be one of Naraku's calling cards. As to why the demon would even bother destroying insignificant villages wasn't clear, but after hearing of the girl in strange clothing, there could be no doubt in his mind that that was Kagome.

They had gotten as far into the east as they could before setting up camp. They had come across the littered remains of some of the destroyed villages, disheartened by how little was left. Taking the time to bury the dead, it was hard to shake the thought of what had taken place; what Kagome may have had to endure. Did Naraku make her watch as he cut down every last man, woman and child? Or even worse, did Kagome help him in such a horrendous act? All night they tried to keep their optimism up, but it wasn't easy, especially having to see the strongest member of their team wither slowly into doubt and despair.

"I'm glad that we decided to leave Shippo behind at Kaede's," Miroku went on to say. "He has been so worried these past months that I hope to spare him anymore unnecessary strain. I think…" The monk stopped himself for second as his own emotions and stress caught up with him in that moment. "I think he more than anyone of us has missed Kagome the most since she's been gone."

The unmistakable grunt sounding "Keh" emerged from Inu-yasha as he rose from his kneel stance, drawing the Tetsusaiga out of the ground and putting it back in the sheath before finding a boulder to sit on. His head dropped in his hands, tortured by the many things going through his mind. Miroku motioned over to Sango, who stood a fair distance away, that he could handle things and for her to return to camp. It was common knowledge to keep away from a wounded animal, but this was something that had been going on long enough.

The hanyou's heart and soul had taken a brutal beating with the loss of the two people he cared the most for. No more hiding; he needed someone to talk to.

Miroku ventured forward from the brush, the jiggling from the rings of his staff was obvious. Inu-yasha didn't flinch or move or even make eye contact as the monk calmly seated himself right next to him on the boulder. In the stillness of the night, neither one spoke to the other for the longest time. It wasn't wise to force the hanyou to talk when it was clear he didn't feel like it. A better tactic was just to wait it out, gather together what needed to be said and then say it when the time was right. Lucky for Miroku, he had the patience of a saint, or so he liked to think he did.

"I suggest that you save your aggression for Naraku, Inu-yasha. The trees haven't done you any harm as far as I can see, and considering what we have to deal with tomorrow, perhaps you should get some rest. When was the last time you got some sleep?"

The dark circles under his eyes were evidence enough that the hanyou hadn't been resting well at all. Every other night or so since the abduction had left him plagued by nightmares. Not even in the comfort of his dreams could Inu-yasha escape his guilt, and ultimately he did what he could to avoid sleep all together. Neither worked regrettably; sleep would find him and once again he'd be reminded of all that had taken place months before. With a slow turn of his head, he muttered over his shoulder at the monk.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Given the state that you're in, one would not have to wait very long for that to happen" Miroku replied. His eyes looked upwards towards the star-filled horizon above them. To those who didn't know better, this would've been a peaceful and restful setting had it not been for the lingering scent of twiddling fires, fresh dead and soil. To think on what more would meet their eyes once they caught up to Naraku was not a pleasant thought. It was at that moment that Miroku decided to come clean and say something that should've been said two months earlier.

"Inu-yasha, you should know that no one blames you for what happened. Not I, nor Sango or Kaede or even Shippo place fault on you what happened to Kagome."

That seemed to get a reaction out of Inu-yasha as his body deflated and his shoulder sank lower. He made not a word as Miroku went on.

"You must understand that these past two months have been hard on us all. Not having Kagome around hasn't been something we've been able to get used to. We all miss her, Inu-yasha. I miss her."

No response.

"It's been hard. While you may think that you are the cause of all that's happened, I think otherwise," he said, lowering his own head and hanging it in shame. "These past months, I have replayed that moment again and again, and always I look for that one instant that could've made the difference. Perhaps, if I had fended off the castle guards sooner I could've made it inside the castle in time and rescued Kagome."

Absently, Miroku's left hand played over his right, circling with his finger over his Kazaana. Hearing the monk confess his shame, Inu-yasha listened in carefully.

"I am not the only one who thinks this way either," Miroku went on. "Sango has had to deal with her own fault as well. I have seen her grieve over Kagome; the same way she has had to grieve for Kohaku. And although she hasn't said anything to me, I believe she blames herself just as I do. You cannot continue on this way, my friend. Do you realize that you're slowly killing yourself? Kagome wouldn't want to see you like this."

There was a long pause between the two of them, each contemplating their own guilty conscience. Amongst the fault, there was also anger. If he touches one hair on her head…Inu-yasha felt himself shudder underneath the growing rage boiling to a head inside. The two months spent in constant looking for clues and endless dead ends only led to impatience and fear of the unknown. If they managed to catch up to Naraku, Inu-yasha would then see with his own eyes just what had happened to Kagome in his absence. What damage had been done to her; that ignited a clenched fury that was almost too strong to contain.

Just then, he heard Miroku sigh. The monk stood up from the boulder and stretched out his body and again looked up toward the sky as if for guidance. "I have said prayers for Kagome ever since she was taken, Inu-yasha. Since she's been gone, I have prayed for nothing else. But in turn, I have also prayed for you. Maybe it's been my guilt that's prevented me from talking to you about this. I…haven't had the courage to face you…considering. I've stood by and watched you slowly destroy yourself, without so much as acting upon it."

Miroku made a quick gesture, turning his head so that both his and the hanyou's eyes met.

"I have let two of my dearest friends down…and I apologize."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them, but then dog demon surprisingly began to speak.

"I went to see her mother the other day."

"What?"

"Kagome's mother…just before we left the village, I went through the well to see her. I don't even know why I did it. I guess…I wanted to tell her about what happened to Kagome."

Miroku shuddered. He commended Inu-yasha for his intentions, but how difficult it must have been for him to go through with it. "What happened?"

Inu-yasha scoffed. "What do you think happened bouzu? I couldn't face her! I just sat in the well for hours I think, like a coward…all that time I spent just thinking about what I could say that might make it easier for her. I tried to come up with the words, but there was nothing I could think of. There was nothing I could say."

"Inu-yasha, there's no reason for you to make excuses for yourself or for anyone else. You need to forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault for what happened and…"

"TELL THAT TO HER MOTHER!" Inu-yasha shot up from his seat as he shouted passionately at the monk, catching him completely off guard. The wild look in his eye registered along with the tone of his voice, filled with frustration and anger. His body panted as he continued on. "Don't you get it Miroku! You tell me how I was supposed to go to that woman and tell her that Kagome was kidnapped by a demon as evil and as heartless as Naraku and how I was not there to stop it from happening! You look me straight in the face and you tell me what reason I could give as to why I couldn't save her daughter. There is no excuse in the whole world that I can give that would make up for what happened that day! Kagome counted on me; she trusted me to protect her, and I didn't! All because I wanted to believe so badly that Kikyo was still alive! I wanted to believe that there was still a chance that I could make up for what happened fifty years ago, but all I ended up doing was the exact same thing all over again. I let it happen! So don't you dare tell me that I should forgive myself when Kagome has to suffer because of my mistake at the hands of that bastard!"

With an animalistic roar, Inu-yasha drew out his Tetsusaiga again and unleashed a powerful Kaze no Kizu through the air. The wave mowed a good chunk of the forest into nothing but a few scattered splinters. Unwavering silence followed with Miroku looking on at the hanyou. Inu-yasha's tired form shuddered with emotion. It was a crushing blow to his otherwise unbreakable spirit. Miroku had never heard Inu-yasha speak his mind so pointedly, but now he understand the reasons why he had secluded himself for so long.

Sheathing his sword, he surveying the damage done by his Tetsusaiga, he turned back and headed back towards camp, brushing past the monk. Between the both of them, it was mutually felt that their chances of finding Kagome unharmed were slim at best. Keeping hope alive was all they could do at the moment. Abruptly, Inu-yasha stopped.

"Miroku?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think…we have a chance?"

It was a frightening moment when even Inu-yasha was at the edge of hopelessness. It was scary to think that even he was starting to give up hope. He turned to see the demon looking right at him, waiting for his answer with desperation in his eyes.

"For Kagome's sake, I really hope we do."

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"Kohaku!"

Kirara soared high above the raising flames as the hut continued to burn, carrying with her Sango and Miroku. Below, chaos had spill over into a fury of panic-stricken people. Screams from the fleeing frightened villagers echoed into the burning orange sky with smoke rising higher. The slain lay where they had fallen. Blood was splattered everywhere. Demons flew down from the sky, quickly devouring those who couldn't get away in time.

Against the rushing tide, Inu-yasha fought his way through, pushing and shoving past the villager in an effort to keep up with the two tailed. As he reached the center of the village which was ablaze with fire, several serpent type demons swarmed in on him from the air snarling and growling. Inu-yasha pushed himself on forward, not stopping as he raised his Tetsusaiga to clear himself a path, unleashing a wave of his strength. The demons vanished in a bright flurry of power, pieces of what remained of their bodies clumped to the ground and Inu-yasha continued forward. His eyes looked back towards the sky. He could still see Kirara overhead. The Hiraikotsu spun quickly as more serpent demons drew in closer towards the village. The flying bone cut through most of them which left Miroku to suck up the rest that remained. The hanyou could hear Sango call out her brother's name as if hoping he'd answer her.

"Kohaku! Kohaku, where are you! Kohaku!"

'_Damn! Where did that kid get to?'_ Inu-yasha thought.

It was early that day when they had come upon this particular village that they had stopped to rest and replenished themselves. This was the only village that they had come across that had yet to be attacked, so it was decided that it was probably best just to wait and see if Naraku would show up. Perhaps it was luck that it didn't take very long for that to happen. The assault began when swarms of demon flew down from the sky and began to cut down the villagers. Soon after, the entire village caught on fire when the people tried to leave in a panic. It turned into a war zone fairly quickly, but just when things couldn't get any worse, Sango had caught sight of Kohaku, her younger brother traveling with the demons. What should have been a happy reunion between siblings, turned ill when she saw the vacant stare in his eyes. She had tried calling out to him, but it didn't work. Sango had to watch in horror as her brother turned his weapon on the villagers, cutting them down without so much as a second glance before fleeing into the smoke and flames.

Inu-yasha figured that if Kohaku was here, then there was a good chance that Naraku had to be close by. They followed him as far as they could, but now had lost sight of him. Tracking him might have been easier if Kagome was around. She would've been able to sense his shard right away. Just then, Sango shouted at the hanyou from above.

"I see him!" she cried. "Inu-yasha, he's heading out of the village!"

"Right, I'm heading there now! Try and see if you can get rid of some of these demons and I'll meet you there!"

With much thanks given to his fire-rat robe, Inu-yasha rushed through the flames with ease. He sheathed the Tetsusaiga and quickly searched for any trace of Kohaku. It wasn't such an easy process as he had hoped. His scent was completely obstructed by the smell of the village burning behind him. Without Kagome, Inu-yasha had to go cold. The wind shifted and he was immediately back on the trail. He raced out of the village and towards the surrounding forest nearby. If his guess was right, then it was possible that Kohaku could be leading him towards Naraku.

He could only hope that his prayers would be answered.

'_Hang in there Kagome. I'm coming to save you.'_

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As Inu-yasha hurried through the forest after Kohaku's scent, he suddenly found himself experiencing a case of deja-vu. An unsettling feeling of foreboding rushed over him, just the same as that fateful day two months ago. He recognized this feeling; he was heading towards a trap. With that in mind, Inu-yasha continued on. Whether or not Naraku was just ahead of him, or this was just another set up didn't matter all that much to him now. His own personal safety wasn't that important to him. All that mattered now was finding Kagome and getting her as far away from Naraku's grasp as possible.

He would help heal her wounds and scars.

He would ask her for forgiveness until he could speak no more.

He would promise anything to show his sincerity.

Just then, he reached the end of the forest, stopping suddenly when he saw Kohaku standing planted in the center, like he had been waiting him. Cautiously the hanyou kept his distance. After all the times he had encountered the young boy whenever he was until Naraku's influence, he knew that it was almost suicide to just attack him outright. Kohaku was capable of anything like this. With vacant and emotionless eyes, the child taijiya shared a stare down with Inu-yasha. Inu-yasha unsheathed the Tetsusgaia, but still remained in place. He watched Kohaku's moves carefully, looking for a moment when he might strike. The boy still carried in his hand his kusarigama. That was the one thing the hanyou had to keep his eye on. At Naraku's command, Kohaku could slice Inu-yasha's head clean off his shoulders.

"Easy kid," he warned. "I'm not here to hurt you."

The boy made no attempt to show that he understood. With that empty look still in his eyes, Kohaku prepared himself for an attack; something that Inu-yasha wanted to avoid. As Inu-yasha waited, his ears flinched suddenly to the side. A low chuckle followed as the wind brushed past the hanyou's cheek. He quickly recognized the scent, and growled in annoyance.

"Kagura!"

Such enough, a large feather descended from the sky, carried by the aid of the air, and Naraku's incarnation, Kagura stepped off, humbly hiding her face behind her fan. As she appeared, so did her pale faced sister, carrying her soul sucking mirror in her hands, looking just as lifeless and emotionless as Kohaku. As the three of them gathered together, Inu-yasha watched them cautiously. The odds were three to one, but that didn't seem to bother the dog demon any. Kohaku alone was a formidable opponent, and now with Kagura and Kanna, the situation could easily be turned in their favor if he wasn't careful. His own personal safety would have to take a backseat for the time being however. Even with the risk of losing his life, he wasn't about to waver in his mission of getting Kagome back.

"Well, it's certainly been awhile, hasn't it Inu-yasha" the demoness cooed. "The last we saw each other I must say were under some unfortunate circumstances. How have you been faring these past months? Do you still mourn your failure to save Kikyo…or perhaps you mourn over someone else these days?" Kagura giggled at her own statement, watching the hanyou's face grew more cross with anger.

"I'm not interested in hearing anything you have to say, Kagura. You know why I'm here."

"Do I now?"

Inu-yasha raised his sword. "Where's Kagome? Show her to me!"

Kagura laughed again. "Now, what makes you think she's even here?"

"Because since when does Naraku have any interest in attacking meager villages that don't serve him any purpose? Naraku doesn't waste his time with stuff like that…not unless he was trying to get my attention." Inu-yasha took a step forward with the Tetsusgaia still raised. "Now I'm going to ask you again; where, is, Kagome?"

Kagura said nothing at first, but only waved Kohaku and Kanna aside. The demon slayer boy and pale-faced child took a step back just at the moment that the forest began to rustle. An ominous wind brushed past the hanyou, sending strands of silver hair flying, when suddenly an aroma of strong miasma began to excrete from nowhere. The potent smell burned the inside of his nose so that Inu-yasha quickly covered his face with his sleeve. When the smell dissipated, Inu-yasha's amber eyes returned to the forest as he could hear the approaching footsteps coming from the darkness.

Kagura smiled behind her fan.

"Naraku wishes you to meet his newest creation. I think you're going to enjoy this one."

As the footsteps neared, the darkness seemed to peel itself away as it slowly revealed a shadowy figure stalking its way toward Inu-yasha. The figure came into view underneath the moonlight as a tall and slender person dressed from head to toe all in black gear. The face was conveniently hidden behind a beautifully painted white noh mask. The newcomer was heavily armored with weapons; two swords strapped to the back with two others in hand. The legs were equipped with smaller knives and what looked to be smoke bombs were fastened to the belt. All that weaponry and Inu-yasha remained unimpressed.

"Keh, so Naraku has gone to all this trouble so I could play with his newest incarnation has he?" the hanyou scoffed. _'Damn it; I don't have time for this.'_

Inu-yasha was willing to bet that Naraku was no doubt hiding himself somewhere and was probably watching the whole event as it unfolded. He must have created this newest embodiment of himself to distract him away from finding Kagome. The more Inu-yasha thought of Kagome, the stronger the hatred became. He looked upon the black clothed incarnation with narrow eyes and bared teeth. He had come too far, searched for too long to turn back now, not when he was so close on getting Kagome back. Inu-yasha was not about to be wavered by some animated trash created by Naraku.

"Just so you know, I'm not in one of my best moods at the moment. In fact, I'm pretty much pissed as hell." Inu-yasha laughed at his own joke, but his smile quickly faded. "Sorry about this, but since Naraku doesn't have the balls to come and face me himself, I guess that I'm going to have to kick you around."

The incarnation regarded the hanyou with very little concern as it took to a fighting stance, raising its blades and gesturing to its opponent to make the first move. The battle began with the two combatants rushing towards one other at an equally matched speed that even surprised Inu-yasha. It seemed that Naraku had taken the time to educate his incarnation in the hanyou's fighting techniques. His adversary's agility and dexterity allowed him to keep up with the dog demon effortlessly, constantly attacking while at the same time effectively blunting any counterattack and searching for an opening in the hanyou's defense. Inu-yasha found it somewhat daunting to keep up with black figure's quickness and strength. Stroke for stroke, they battled about the forest clearing with Kagura, Kanna and Kohaku looking on with the sound of clashing steel echoing loudly. The stranger was fast; fast enough to quickly recover as Inu-yasha swung his sword against his opponent's blade. Leaping and somersaulting, the incarnation landed gracefully out of the way. He back-flipped out of range of the Tetsusgaia, giving himself some space in which to recover and to assume a new battle stance. Inu-yasha was back on him in an instant, covering the distance separating them in a rush, hammering into his enemy anew. A primal scream sounded through the air as their swords met.

Their blades dueled against one another, each bearing down in order to bring the other to his knees. They were equally matched in strength. Inu-yasha's eyes narrowed as he gazed into the white mask. He couldn't see into his opponent's eyes, so he couldn't read his expression. But just by the way he stood his ground and was bearing all his weight against the Tetsusgaia, Inu-yasha felt the animosity and determination to win.

They pulled away from each other just as Inu-yasha regained his stance. For a moment, the fighters shared an intense stare down with each other. Inu-yasha was earning himself a workout from his opponent. He could feel that his body was taut with fatigue. His strokes were not as vigorous as before, he panted for breath and his face was bathed with sweat while the incarnation showed no sign of weariness. The hanyou's amber eyes brightened with uncertainty. At the moment, he was doing his best to hold his own until Miroku and Sango could arrive; that was best he could manage for now.

He found a fresh reserve of strength just then and now returned attacking with a ferocity that seemed to have the incarnation hindered. With quick hard strokes of the Tetsusgaia, he bombarded his foe, and with every swing and parry, he was countered. He drove the warrior backwards, keeping him constantly on the defensive and pressing in on him steadily. The incarnation countered again, striking back hard with the two blades and effectively sending Inu-yasha stumbling.

Inu-yasha recovered quickly in time to get himself out of harm's way. He rolled away when the tip of a blade stabbed straight into the ground. Jumping to his feet, the hanyou took the opportunity to raise his sword and unleash a potent attack.

"This has been fun, but I'm just about through playing games with you. Try this; KAZE NO KIZU!"

The demon's powerful blade let loose a crashing wave of strength. The deadly blaze of fire and light tore through the earth heading straight for Naraku's incarnation. The fighter leaped to the air out of range of the attack and landed to the ground gracefully, so Inu-yasha tried again. The mighty sword swung against the wind as more fire and light traveled in all directions. Inu-yasha unleashed wave after wave of destruction after the incarnation as he darted from harm's reach. The hanyou growled loudly out of frustration.

"Stay still, damn you!"

Another hard stroke of the Tetsusgaia sent another wave of flames after his enemy. The torrent streamed through the ground, turning upwards and finally catching the incarnation just as it made its descent back to the ground. In a blaze of light, Inu-yasha watched as his enemy was engulfed by his assault, disappearing without a trace left in sight.

"Keh, guess that ends that" the hanyou congratulated himself.

Over his shoulder, he could hear Kagura chuckling.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of myself if I were you, half demon."

At that moment, as the dirt and dust began to settle, Inu-yasha turned, only to be shocked to see that his wind attack had failed. Behind the clearing haze, he could clearly make out the dark figure, crouched down on one knee and still very much alive. The face still could not be seen as it was covered by a mess of long hair. The only thing that the hanyou managed to destroy was the white noh mask as it lay in pieces scattered on the ground. Growling, Inu-yasha raised his sword again.

"Damn it! Just what's it going to take to kill you!"

"Perhaps you should try one of your stronger attacks? Maybe that'll finish the job" said Kagura.

Ignoring the wind mistress' advice, Inu-yasha charged back into battle, barreling into his enemy with such fury that he almost knocked both of them off their feet. He struck at the incarnation with the Tetsusgaia as if his own safety meant nothing, and he was lost in a red haze of rage and frustration. The swords grated against each other as the clearing echoed with their grunts. Just then, Inu-yasha spotted on opportunity and mounted a final assault. He rushed forward with a series side blows. He feinted an attack to the left and brought the sword around and down with a force that he hoped would cut through the incarnation's blade. Blocked, he then raised the Tetsusgaia high over his enemy's head; a killing blow.

And was blocked completely again.

For a few tense moments, he bore all his strength down on his opponent in hopes to bring him down to his knees. Grunting, with his legs trembling and muscles straining, he looked down at the person beneath his sword and caught a glimpse of his face for the first time. Loose strands of black hair peeled back to reveal a pair of dark brown eyes. Briefly, both brown and amber met and stared together for what seemed like hours to the hanyou.

Right then, Inu-yasha felt his body lock up.

His breath caught in his throat in a struggled gasp with the thundering sound of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. Briefly, he thought that the world had disappeared all around him, time had stopped and there was nothing left in existence but himself and the person he was dueling swords with. At that moment, he prayed that this was all just a dream.

Sadly, it wasn't.

He blinked and uttered quietly to himself.

"Kagome?"

Just then, Inu-yasha felt himself stumbling forward as he lost his footing. Kagome pulled away from his sword suddenly. A hard, swift knee kick came up straight into his gut, freeing all the air he had in his body as another kick met his face and sent him sailing through the air and sprawling to the ground. Dazed and gasping for breath, Inu-yasha struggled to back to his feet. His sword had come free of his grasp and had landed several feet away. He managed to roll on his side when the clouds above began to part away from the bright moon, giving him enough light to look again at his opponent more clearly.

With the light of the full moon, Kagome stood before him. Her long black hair flew freely against a passing breeze as she stared coldly at the fallen half demon. The soulless and unfeeling expression on her face sent Inu-yasha's emotions reeling. In his mind's eye, flashing images of the girl he come to know appeared before him. A smiling and happy person materialized in shots, like photographs, against the spiteful appearance he stared at in a spellbind state. This wasn't the Kagome he knew. This wasn't the Kagome he had been searching for, that he spent those sleepless nights praying that he'd find one day. This wasn't her.

Despite his shock, Inu-yasha tried calling out to her.

"Kagome! Kagome, it's me! Don't you recognize me?"

She said nothing, but relaxed her blades and charged towards the hanyou again with blinding speed. Without his sword, Inu-yasha was defenseless, so he rushed to the side to dodge her. With empty eyes fixed on him, Kagome went after him again. Stroke for stroke, she parried towards Inu-yasha with seamless agility that Inu-yasha had never seen before in her. Naraku had to be controlling her every move, just like she was a puppet. He dodged the best he could, but the tip of her blade grazed across his cheek, slicing it open. He reeled back in pain, grasping his face as it bled freely. As she hurried toward him, he made a last ditch effort to get through to her. Her sword came down in an effort to lop off his head. He ducked, and came back to get a firm grasp on her wrists halting her assault. He held Kagome in place, struggling against her and started pleading with her again.

"Stop this Kagome!" he shouted. "You don't have to do this! Don't you understand? Can't you see that this isn't you? You're being controlled by Naraku, damn it! Kagome, look at me!" The sound of desperation in his voice was evident as he held her. Kagome jerked against his grasp in an attempt to get away. Inu-yasha bit his lower lip hard, his eyes narrowed with emotion. His worst fears had come true. Naraku had taken Kagome and had turned her against him…just as he had done fifty years ago with Kikyo. The sense of loss was almost too much for him to come to grasp with. "I've came back for you, Kagome" he managed to whisper.

"Kohaku, now!"

Kagura's voice echoed from the sidelines. Suddenly, Inu-yasha felt the kusarigama wrapped suddenly around his wrists. With a strong jerk, he was sent sprawling onto his back with both his wrist chained together. Shackled like an animal, his head looked up and saw Kohaku standing over him. When he turned back to Kagome, he saw her over him as well set to stab her sword straight through him. He had to make a decision quickly. Thinking fast, he delivered a hard kick to Kagome's gut that sent her flying. Then hurrying to his feet, he faced off with Kohaku. With his wrist still bound, he grabbed the chain and pulled Kohaku towards him. The boy fought against the hanyou's strength as best he could but quickly lost. Inu-yasha caught him as he stumbled, pulled the chain loose from his wrists and sent him sailing to where Kagome had landed.

He then took this opportunity to rush over to where the Tetsusgaia had fallen. With his blade in hand, Inu-yasha turned back to Kagome.

"Now this is interesting. Are you really going to fight her, Inuyasha? I had thought you had come all this way to rescue her."

"Shut it!"

"FUUJIN NO MAI!"

With the flick of the wrist, Kagura waved her fan and thousands of sharp wind blades soared through the air. Inu-yasha reacted almost too late. He managed to repel most of the blades, but lost his footing, only to have his body savagely slashed almost to ribbons. Kagura raised her fan again and set free another barrage of blades. Fresh bleeding wounds left the hanyou dazed and his reflexes hindered. He received the full scale of Kagura's assault head on the second time. Blood showered to the ground as his body contorted in pain until finally he collapsed in a bleeding heap. Weakly, Inu-yasha turned his eyes up at the wind mistress. A streaming of blood traveled down his face, flooding his eyes in red.

"Damn you…" he managed to groan.

"Ironic isn't it?" Kagura cooed. "You've come all this way in hopes that you'd somehow be able to safely rescue Kagome. But from where I'm standing, it looks like you're going to need someone to rescue you from her. Interesting how fate can sometimes play games with you; don't you agree Inu-yasha?"

"What…what did you do to her? What has Naraku done to Kagome?"

"Hmm, I would think it would be obvious to see for yourself. But since you asked, I guess there's no harm in telling you. Unfortunately now that Kikyo is no longer alive, it seems that there's no one else left who can see the sacred jewel shards, except for Kagome that is. Naraku requires her eyes to seek out the remaining shards for him."

"Kagome...would never do that. She would never help Naraku; there's just no way that would happen."

"Oh I thought so. It took some time, but eventually Kagome succumbed. Believe me; no one can be that strong…against Naraku. Not even Kagome could deny him." She pointed her fan towards the burning village. "Who do you think destroyed all those villages anyway? Just one word from Naraku, and Kagome is willing to do anything for him. Even murder helpless villagers without so much as a second thought. Remarkable how one can change in such a short of time, isn't it?"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

Struggling against the pain and the blood and breathing heavily, Inu-yasha was back to his feet, glaring at Kagura with empowered hatred. "Damn you…damn all of you to hell! I swear; I'll never forgive you for what you've done to Kagome. Even if it kills me, I'm gonna see to it that all of you pay for this." His fist tightened hard; Inu-yasha was seething. "SHE'S DOESN'T BELONG TO HIM ANYMORE!"

"Kagome! Kohaku!"

With unmatched speed, the two fledgling killers appeared at both the left and the right of the hanyou with the weapons at the ready. He heard the soft footsteps as Kagura and Kanna closed in on him. It was then that Inu-yasha found himself surrounded, trapped in a gauntlet without a weapon. For a minute, the thought of running away came to mind. Maybe meet back with Sango and Miroku. Facing them all wasn't macho; it was suicidally stupid. Especially when the hanyou was wounded and his stamina wasn't up to it. But as he looked over at Kagome, whose once bright and beautiful face had contorted into a painful sneer of hate as she prepared to cut him down, Inu-yasha sighed heavily as he seemed to surrender to his fate. There was no where he could run, he realized. This is what he had come for, what he came here to do. Finding Kagome was all he had thought about since she was taken, and even now when matters seemed to be hopeless, there was no way that Inu-yasha could run away now. Doing so would be abandoning her all over again.

Inu-yasha's emotions got the better of him briefly as he pleaded with Kagome as she neared him.

"Kagome, you're stronger than this. I know you are. I know that you can break away from whatever hold Naraku has over you. You can beat him. Fight him Kagome! Fight him! I'm not leaving until you come back home with me!"

"Maybe she doesn't want to go with you, Inu-yasha. Perhaps with me, she is better off."

A low laughter poured out from the night like black silk, followed by a miasma that stretched far across the land forming a barrier of darkness. Inu-yasha felt his heart skip a beat as a swirl of fumes descended from the sky and evaporated away to reveal his hated enemy. Naraku had a sharp, cruel smile, as thin and cutting as a steel blade. He laughed again, that dark and silken laugh, a laugh that promised no mercy. Both of the adversaries eyes met but neither one spoke. No words were needed to express how much revulsion the hanyou felt for the man, the monster before him. The hanyou wanted him dead; he wanted him to suffer just as he had suffered. Naraku seemed to snicker in response to Inu-yasha's glaring eyes.

"Bastard…" the dog demon growled through clenched teeth.

"Kill him" Naraku ordered, and in a flash of red blood and slashing steel, Inu-yasha found himself in a deadly duel for his life.

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Those who managed to escape the blaze and the demons had taken refuge in the hills. There, the villagers watched as the fire destroyed their homes, their crops burned to ashes and whatever was left of the lives was turned to a cinder. Miroku watched with them, taking a grieving woman in his arms while providing her with a shoulder to cry on. He had helped look for her husband among the survivors, but couldn't find him or her two children. She sobbed helplessly against him as the survivors looked on. With embers scattered towards the sky, Miroku looked up and saw the two tailed coming in for a landing with her master on her back.

"Did you find anyone Sango?" he asked urgently.

Regrettably, the taijiya shook her head. A mournful wail went up among the survivors, each one feeling the impact of their loss.

"Where's Inu-yasha?" Sango spoke up.

"I don't know. He's hasn't returned since he went after Kohaku. I hope…"

At that exact moment, a painful howl that seemed to go on forever echoed through the air. A sound like an animal dying that sent chills down the spines of both Miroku and Sango. They both turned their eyes towards the source of the sound, coming from the far side of the forest. There they could sense the ominous aura of something extremely powerful and extremely evil. The both of them knew this evil all too well.

"Oh no…" Miroku uttered. "Sango, quickly! We have to hurry and help Inu-yasha now!"

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The gauntlet suddenly came crashing in all around Inu-yasha.

Inu-yasha first instinct was to head straight for Naraku in an effort to end the fight early. Something in him registered that idea as complete foolishness, but he went for it anyway as he was blinded by his want for vengeance. Naraku calmly stood by as his incarnations took to his defense and went on the attack. The hanyou was too headstrong for his own good. In his arrogance, he would bring about his own downfall. Contently, the evil demon watched Inu-yasha dance around the open field in an effort to hold his own against the barrage against him. It was rather amusing to watch, but in time the hanyou would falter.

Amid a howl of great pain, Inu-yasha fell back hard to the ground, his hand flying up to a gaping wound in his shoulder. A shower of blades from Kagura's fan rained down on him, exploding apart the earth on impact. She hovered above him, astride her feather and laughing with glee. Inu-yasha shielded himself as best he could with the sleeve of his fire rat robe before getting back to his feet. Ducking and crouching, he ran across the field looking for cover. It was like a war zone around him. The sound of the ground blowing up was deafening; like bombs going off. There was nowhere that the hanyou could use for cover, so he was left with no choice but to face everything head on. He turned on his heels and without hesitation raised his sword for what seemed to Naraku a desperate move.

"KAZU NO KIZU!"

Imbued with the power of his sword, glowing red to match his rage, he cleared the field easily. Huge chunks of soil tore away and were sent hurtling into the empty space of the air. Kagura dodged him easily, and then soared downward in a nose dive. As she zoomed towards Inu-yasha, she sent another storm of blades at him. The hanyou deflected them, using the Tetsusaiga like a bat. Then with a deep breath, he slammed his sword to ground for another shot. The gleaming blade blazed with fire and burned a path towards the wind mistress. Surprisingly enough she didn't waver away, but barreled straight into the flames. Inu-yasha allowed himself to get excited for a minute. Just then, a smile crossed Kagura's face as she pulled her feather up. In the distance, Inu-yasha caught sight of a small figure standing in the Kaze no Kizu's path, unmoving.

He gasped as he realized his mistake.

There was Kanna.

He saw a gleaming from her mirror in the moonlight as the attack made contact. In a swimming vortex, Inu-yasha watched as his own strength was pulled into the pale child's mirror, disappeared for a second and was blasted back at him in full force. Left with no other alternative, Inu-yasha ran for his life. The heat was closely riding on his heels, barreling closer and closer until finally Inu-yasha felt his feet leave the earth. A burning stabbing and terrible pain shot straight up his back, slowly consuming his entire body with a ball of light. Naraku felt a stab of satisfaction as the hanyou's screams of pain seemed to go on forever.

When the smoked cleared, the open field was in shambles. Small fires burned and crackled in the aftermath. Amongst the scattered debris and smoke, Inu-yasha struggled against the pain that racked his body. Consciousness reeling in and out, he tried to get up but a sharp agony shot through him. He started slowly; willing his eyes to open, then his fingers to move and then trying to hear. The explosion left a dull ringing sound in his ears. Taking in a huge breath, Inu-yasha rolled onto his side despite the obvious discomfort. He touched his forehead, feeling a gush of blood falling down his face. He felt dazed, his head reeled in a fog. Intuition registered and the hanyou looked around for his sword. He was hurt, dizzy and lost. Once he found his sword, Inu-yasha groaned as he managed to prop himself on a one knee.

"So, still alive?"

Inu-yasha froze suddenly at the sound of the voice. Right now, he wished that he was somewhere else as his eyes turned up and he saw Kagome amongst popping flames in front of him with her swords in hand. She looked at him coldly and without any signs of remorse or concern. Inu-yasha could remember a time not too long ago when Kagome would worry about him always when he'd be wounded in battle. He remembered how he'd hated to be fussed over like a child when she treated his injuries. Subconsciously, Inu-yasha tried to summon up a mental image of the Kagome he used to know; her smile, her laugh, her warm and loving face. Practically everything about Kagome before that day two months ago he tried to remember in place of this strange person before him, staring at him like he was a parasite, a worthless creature that needed to be killed. Again, he thought, this person was not Kagome. She was not his Kagome. Still, with that in mind, it sure as hell didn't make the situation any easier.

Kagome pointed the tip of her blade straight at Inu-yasha, ready for the final blow.

"I've waited for this moment."

As the fight between them commenced, Naraku watched in perfect content. Inu-yasha fended off Kagome's blows with the blunt side of his sword; the sound of steel blasting against steel was heavy. The hanyou's moves were sluggish. The blast from his own attack must've injured him. Naraku motioned to Kagura, Kanna and Kohaku to move in on Inu-yasha as well. The gauntlet would continue. Instantly Inu-yasha was attacked from all sides. Caught off guard by this wild assault, Inu-yasha was with no defense. Kagome hammered away against his Tetsusaiga with resilience it frightened him. To his left, he almost didn't react quickly enough blocking a blow from Kohaku. The wind picked up around him suddenly, throwing him off his feet and slamming him onto his back so hard, he felt his ribs crack. He lay on the ground crippled by pain. With another powerful gust, the hanyou was tossed like a rag doll across the field. He tumbled lifelessly, rocks and debris tearing away at his robes and skin. Against the hurt and agony, he could still hear Naraku laughing at him, trying to break down his soul.

"Do you see what it comes down to Inu-yasha? All your efforts, all your hopes; extinguished within a moment of hesitation. You played so easily into my trap that day, all because you cling desperately to what is gone. Kikyo died from her arrogance; she could not comprehend the full extent of my power. And now, you too will die, at the hands of the one who you abandoned all for the sake of a corpse."

The back of Inu-yasha's head slammed against a rock, making the bleeding worse. The blood obscured his vision, his eyes blurred in and out of focus. Wobbling to his feet, he parried against Kohaku. The two dueled until the hanyou lost his footing and a strong knee went up into his gut. Inu-yasha dropped to his knee as he violently began to vomit blood.

"Do you want to know what happened to Kagome, when you left her in your search for Kikyo? On that day, I could sense the heartache she felt for you. How much she wanted to comfort the grief you felt for Kikyo, and yet you brushed her aside. Your selfishness caused her downfall in the end. When she finally came to me, Kagome was already half way gone in her doubt and despair."

The wind gusted in a series of sharp blasts that sent Inu-yasha into a vortex. Lost in a series of tornados, Inu-yasha cried out when wave after wave of Kagura's fan blades shredded his body. Trapped within the updraft, the hanyou was tossed about effortlessly. Blood spattered everywhere. As the wind died finally, Inu-yasha dropped to the ground lifeless. The Tetsusaiga fell, transforming back into its rusted form. Inu-yasha lay motionless, but he could still hear Naraku speak.

"I helped Kagome realize her place in this world. She was lost within her soul, but then I rescued her from endless hopelessness. I made her see the truth, and gave her the strength she needed to succeed in her goal. Revenge against you, Inu-yasha" Naraku laughed. "Revenge for how you made her suffer through everything when Kikyo was alive."

With blood flowing down half his face, one eye swollen shut, his body battered, bruised and broken beyond any feeling, Inu-yasha used whatever strength was left to make a reach for his sword. He could see it just inches away from where he had landed through his blurred vision. With a shaking hand, he stretched out for it. Suddenly, he let out a sharp cry as one of Kagome's blades stabbed down straight into his hand. Inu-yasha lifted his head and through one good eye, he pleaded with Kagome.

"Kagome…" he groaned.

"Why?"

Inu-yasha blinked in confusion.

"Why Inu-yasha? Why didn't you come back for me? Was I not worth saving?"

"Is that…Is that what Naraku told you? Is that what you believe? Kagome, you know that that's not true. You have to know that I would never…"

"But you did. And look what happened, Inu-yasha. I know the truth now; the truth that Naraku has shown me." Kagome gritted her teeth as she gave the sword a firm twist around and Inu-yasha yelped in anguish. "You…abandoned me for Kikyo! You used me! On that day, Inu-yasha, you showed me what it is you really care for. You made me believe that I mattered, but all you really cared about was being with that woman! Damn you to hell wretched half demon!"

Kagome pulled her sword free out of Inu-yasha's hand and kicked hard in his gut, forcing him onto his back. She then straddled him, pinning him down with her sword pointed in his face. Inu-yasha could see the glimmering in her eyes; of sadness and hatred mixed together against the moonlight. She was breathing heavily through her nose with anticipation. Behind her, Naraku called out to her.

"Do it Kagome. Remember everything Inu-yasha put you through. All that pain, all that sadness, betrayal and rage that you were made to suffer because of his relationship with Kikyo; remember it all, Kagome."

"Kagome, please," the hanyou whispered. "Don't do this. Please, it doesn't have to be this way."

"Enough," the girl uttered. She cradled the tip of the blade carefully underneath the prayer beads the hanyou wore around his neck. "I will never forgive you for what you've done to me. Never again will I believe anything you say... Now die!"

"HIRAIKOTSU!"

With Inu-yasha drifting out of conscious, he barely heard the loud _whooshing_ overhead. The weight on his chest quickly pulled itself off of him as Kagome jumped out of harms way just as the boomerang closed in. The sharp edge of the blade near his throat pulled up suddenly, cutting the necklace clean off. Each bead fell to the ground loosely, scattering into a halo shape around his head. Nearby, Kirara landed with the taiyija and monk. They rushed over to the fallen half-demon to immediately look over his injuries.

"Inu-yasha, try not to move" the monk expressed in deep concern. It didn't look good for their friend. Inu-yasha had rolled onto his side, cradling his injured hand as blood coursed through his palm. The extent of wounds was far severe; even with his great healing abilities. Inu-yasha's body heaved for a breath, jerked in violent coughing fits where blood would splatter from his mouth.

"We need to get him out of here, Miroku."

"I agree."

"No!" the hanyou roared in retorted. Another deep, guttural, rolling cough followed as he tried to pull himself up again. Miroku and Sango were quick at his side, grabbing his arms to keep him still.

"Inu-yasha, stop. You'll only make your injuries worse."

"I don't care," he convulsed. "I'm not letting Naraku get away from me this time. I can't…"

Suddenly, Naraku's laugh grew louder. The three of them turned and saw the demon surrounded by his incarnations. There was a heavy updraft of miasma beginning to swirl around them; Naraku was preparing to depart. Sango gasped as her eyes landed dead center on her little brother. He stood by Naraku's left with a detached and empty stare in his face still.

"Kohaku!" she cried out, but the boy did not respond.

Through his one good eye, Inu-yasha gasped as he saw Kagome pressed closely against Naraku's chest. Her hand stroked his armor adoringly, and her eyes looked up at the demon with such content that the hanyou could only describe as love, Naraku looked back down at her with the same stare. He placed his thumb underneath her chin to bring her face closer to his own.

"No…don't you dare."

Kagome's eyes closed as her lips neared Naraku. Time slowed to an anguishing crawl for Inu-yasha. The pain of his body was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Right now, he wished he was somewhere else, anywhere but here in this present moment. New found rage boiled to a head for Inu-yasha as he tightened his fist into a hard ball. Pushing himself into a stand, he let out a howl like a wild beast and charged headstrong towards Naraku just as his lips kissed Kagome's.

"INU-YASHA, GET BACK HERE!" Miroku cried out. The hanyou totally blocked the monk out right then, caught up in his own fury.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

Satisfied with the hanyou's reaction, Naraku flashed an evil smile. The miasma flurried into a darkened haze that blanketed the entire field. Miroku and Sango quickly covered their mouths from the deadly toxin, but called out for their friend. When he didn't answer, their worries turned to panic. Within the darkness of the miasma, Inu-yasha had underestimated the severity of his condition. He didn't get within a few more steps of Naraku when he had inhaled a dangerous intact of the murk. The poison burned his lungs, making it extremely hard to breath. Through another brutal coughing fit, he caught a glimpse of Kagome, disappearing away against the haze. Struggling to stay awake, Inu-yasha reached an outstretched hand towards her, trying to touch her.

She was right in front of him, and still, he could not get to her.

"Kagome…" he managed to utter before collapsing finally, succumbing to the noxious vapors and their poison. As the black clutches of sleep overcome Inu-yasha, his mind summoned up an image of the Kagome he knew, before his enemy's evil claimed her. In the back of his mind that image stayed with him, and as the monk and taijiya rushed over with the fog parting, it was the first time in months that the hanyou had actually felt at peace.

**You don't remember me but I remember you  
I lie awake and try so hard not to think of you  
But who can decide what they dream?  
And dream I do...**

**I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
You're taking over me**

**Have you forgotten all I know  
And all we had?  
You saw me mourning my love for you  
And touched my hand  
I knew you loved me then**

**I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
You're taking over me**

**I look in the mirror and see your face  
If I look deep enough  
So many things inside that are just like you are taking over**

**I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
You're taking over me**

**I believe in you  
I'll give up everything just to find you  
I have to be with you to live to breathe  
You're taking over me**

**You're taking over me  
Taking over me**

"**Taking Over Me"- Evanescence**

**Musical Inspriation - Inuyasha OST 1,2,3**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Where Were You When I Needed You?

Author: Ryoko Metallium

**Disclaimer: Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takashi, Shogakun Inc., and Sunrise. I'm only borrowing them. I promise I'll give them back.**

**Author's Notes: I have returned! I got to say, I didn't expect this chapter to take so long to write. But thank Yoda I am finished. For those of you who are interested, I'm going to take this time to finally get back to some of my other fanfictions that had to take a backseat over the course of the year. So, that's some good news. During the time I was writing this chapter, I had become obsessed with two particular songs which I ultimately ended up writing into the story. So, if anyone hasn't heard these songs yet, it's an absolute must that you do. **

**As always, I'd like to give a shout out of thanks to Kristen Sharpe for doing the beta for me, and having to put up with my dumb mistakes. GIVE THE WOMAN A COOKIE!! **

**And now, on to the story!**

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

Chapter Three: Of Tears and Rain

**Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend**

**Somewhere along in the bitterness**

**And I would have stayed up with you all night**

**Had I known how to save a life?**

"**How to Save a Life" – The Fray**

There was an eerie stillness.

The silence was profound.

Darkness.

Weightless and free, darkness entombed him from all sides as he spiraled downward, wandering through dreams. Fragments of memories and thoughts forgotten and remembered only to fade back into the bleak void, he wandered within himself alone, like a stranger in a strange land.

Darkness.

With the feelings of loneliness and emptiness, the black wrapped itself like a shroud around him and encased him in a crypt of his own sorrow. This was more of a prison than a dreamscape. There was misery here. With every remembrance of the past, every reflection he fell deeper and deeper into a pool of despair. The sense of loss and grief was heavy, chokingly thick. He could hear voices, memories. Why here? Why in his own heart must he continue to feel sadness even as he meandered in the deep oblivion of unconsciousness? Why must he always mourn?

Darkness.

There were faces, and he could hear voices. Friends, allies…and enemies. Haunting ghosts that would forever cling to his soul, he could hear them speak. A voice beckoned his name somewhere. Where? As he fell fast, he reached out into the depths of the shadows, hoping to touch, to feel, but nothing was there. And still he could hear the voice. The void began to get thicker as he could sense his entire self being devoured. He felt weak and tired, and ultimately surrendered to the gloom. It consumed him whole; even as the voice called to him in a stronger more determined tone.

"_Inu-yasha?"_

He wanted to be released. Released from pain and sorrow; the pain that could only come from an injured heart and a dying soul. No more dreams, no more memories; just endless sleep and nothing else.

"_Inu-yasha, can you hear me?"_

Several times, half awake, he swallowed cool water and then slept again, only with more recent memories taking over. The ones he called comrades, the ones he called enemies, the ones he loved, and the ones he betrayed, mostly. All of them; gone in an instant. Kikyo's brutal death, his mourning heart, and Kagome gone. And reigning over it all like the demonic epitome of evil it was, the beyond monster, Naraku. Echoing, he heard his dream screams going on forever as the faces of both his enemy and the ones he lost closed in on him. The darkness took him with only the linger sound of his name called out one last time.

"_Inu-yasha?"_

Finally, the gentle sound of falling rain lapped at the edges of his awareness. It was a long and tiring struggle to leave unconsciousness behind. His body didn't want to, protesting louder the closer he got to the surface of gray, the twilight between the dreams and the rain – but determined, he won out. After deciding he was alive, Inu-yasha opened his eyes.

* * *

The early morning of that day began with a summer downpour.

A peal of thunder rumbled down on the valley. Sheets of fat rain poured over the roofs of the small huts where many villagers still slumbered on inside. Grey blanketed the sky, completely banishing the sun from sight. A fog drifted over the forested hills, obscuring the landscape. The air felt humid and heavy. The silence of life was profound, almost chilling in a way. As the cloudburst drenched the earth, the only one unable to sleep watched it all from the open flap of priestess Kaede's hut.

Sango sat melancholy and silent as she watched the rain, laying her head against the wall and huddling with her legs close to her body. The hut was near total darkness, though she could make out the still forms of those in the room with her. She could hear the soft breathing of the kitsune who lay curled next to the two-tailed. The elderly priestess slept quietly, and distinctly Sango could make out the punctuating snores of the monk. Although Sango had no idea how long she had been awake, she was stiff and cramped and felt as if she had been in that position for hours. At the flash of lightening and grumble of thunder, she took in her surroundings as her eyes grimly set on a bundled figure in the corner.

Sighing, she got to her feet and stepped carefully over to the wrapped body. Slumbering soundly, Sango looked over the solemn, sleeping expression of Inu-yasha. It had been several days since their last encounter with Naraku, and most of those days were spent keeping a close watch on the hanyou's condition. His injuries were critical, and Inu-yasha's healing abilities had been affected by the miasma he had inhaled. Since coming back to the village, it was a minute by minute effort just to keep the dog demon alive. In his weakened state, it took all of Kaede's herbs and knowledge to fight off a powerful sickness of Naraku's poison still in his system. Now, with the weather outside as a mere testament to the somber mood felt by everyone, Sango watched and listened to Inu-yasha's shallow breathing. She soaked a washcloth in a water basin, squeezed it and draped it over the hanyou's sweat drenched forehead. By the rapid movement of his eyes, she could tell that he was dreaming.

'_Let's hope that they're good dreams…' _she thought to herself.

Just then, she heard a small moan. Sango nearly jumped as she leaned in close to listen. Her excitement level was overflowing with joy; Inu-yasha was waking up.

"Inu-yasha? Can you hear me?"

Quickly, the taijiya went over to the monk, practically slapping him awake.

"Houshi-sama, wake up!"

"Wha-what is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Inu-yasha; I think he's waking up."

The two gathered closely around the hanyou's bedside, watching intently as he started to awaken. Sango fetched a cup of water, holding up Inu-yasha's head while he drank a few swallows. It was the first time he responded to anything since their return.

"Inu-yasha?" Miroku said quietly.

It was a tense moment, but after some time, the hanyou finally came to, opening his eyes. A long sigh of relief passed between the monk and the taijiya. Inu-yasha looked disoriented and a little confused; his eyes still gazed over from sleep as he looked around the small hut questioningly. He uttered a weak moan as his first reaction was to try and sit up, but his sore, stiff muscles protested against his efforts. He could feel the pinch of his tightly bandaged ribs, not to mention the tremendous pounding going on inside his head that made moving too nauseating.

"Be careful, my friend. Your injuries are still severe."

"Where…am I?" Inu-yasha asked tiredly, closing his eyes as he laid his head back down on his makeshift pillow. He could smell the strong aroma of the old priestess' healing herbs hanging in the air, along with the scent of wet earth from the rain. Sango and Miroku fussed around the cramped area quietly as not to awake the still sleeping kitsune and old woman, moving things aside to make more room.

"We're back in Kaede's village," answered Miroku, moving the cooking pot over the hearth to start breakfast. Talking seemed to be too tiring for the hanyou, so the monk tried to summarize everything that had happened to save questions. "We brought you so we could tend to your injuries properly. The miasma you inhaled spread a poison throughout your body. You had us worried, Inu-yasha. Even if you are a half-demon, your injuries were serious enough to kill anyone. We had feared we would lose you. You were lucky though."

"Kaede-bachan was able to dissolve the poison in your system with her herbs thankfully," said Sango. "We've been here for three days, recuperating, but you've been sleeping mostly. How do you feeling Inu-yasha? Think you can stomach something to eat perhaps?"

She heard him take in a deep sigh.

"No…I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? There's still some stew left over from last night and…"

The taijiya trailed off, not sure what else she could tell him as Inu-yasha laid in silence. The thought of food was far from his mind at the moment. For someone who had practically been in a coma for several days, his appetite was lacking surprisingly. Aside from absence of hunger, the hanyou wasn't much in a talking mood. His body felt like it had been through hell and back again. The killer pounding in his head was making it hard to remember anything that had happened. Inu-yasha looked around the small hut, taking in his surrounds carefully. Somehow it felt empty in a way, like something was missing. Right away, his memory reminded him why and the feelings of sadness washed over him anew. He opened his eyes again, obviously aware and focused.

Kagome wasn't with him.

'_That's right…I remember now' _the hanyou thought. A small part of him was hoping that it all had just been a delusion, but in his heart, Inu-yasha knew the cruel truth. It had been after the events at Mount Hakurai that started it all. In his deep mourning from Kikyo's death, the hanyou had fallen victim again to another of Naraku's traps. Inu-yasha had followed a rumor that the priestess was somehow still alive, but in the end, it was just another delusion. Before he realized it, he lost someone else he cared for.

He lost Kagome.

No…more like sacrificed her. The stabbing pain of guilt was all too familiar. Inu-yasha wanted so badly to know he hadn't failed Kikyo again, and had so willingly played right into Naraku's trap that the hanyou never even knew it until it was too late. After Kagome was kidnapped, Inu-yasha had searched for months for any kind of clue that would help him. It was torturous waiting game for everyone. But none so was more racked with fault than the dog demon. Days went by with nothing to go on, leaving Inu-yasha with nothing to do but blame himself for what he had done Then, a ray of hope come to him when Naraku finally came out of hiding. Needless to say, Inu-yasha wasted no time on tracking down his enemy once again, all the while keeping his focus on getting Kagome back and nothing else.

But fate has a way of playing cruel games.

Inu-yasha did find Kagome, but it was a reunion that nearly killed him. Kagome had changed in the months since her capture. Naraku had changed her. Seducing her with lie after lie and filling her once pure heart with nothing but malice, Naraku had successfully turned Kagome against Inu-yasha. In a bloody and vicious battle, the two had fought against each other. In a blurred memory, Inu-yasha could still see the dark look in Kagome's eyes. She wanted nothing more than to kill him. She had now become something the hanyou never thought possible: his enemy.

Absently, Inu-yasha lifted up his hand to look at it. It was heavily bandaged, spotting blood from where one of Kagome's blades had stabbed straight through his palm. He grimaced as he tried to flex it.

'_Kagome did this to me…' _Never before had he had suffered a betrayal that hurt this much. Not even Kikyo's betrayal from fifty years ago was this painful. This was different. This time, he was partly to blame for what happened. If he had known better…if he seen through Naraku's tricks, then none of this would've happened. None of this _had_ to happen, but tragically it did. It was hard to keep hope alive now. As much as he wanted to save Kagome, that in itself seemed like an impossible wish to him at the moment. He was defeated, physically and mentally. Even if Inu-yasha could find the strength to track Naraku again, the question remained: would he have to face Kagome in battle as before?

If so, could he bring himself to fight her again?

Worse yet, could he defeat her?

It was almost too much to think about now.

The rain was starting to lessen. The thunder was starting to sound more distant with each flash of lightening. There were even a few rays of sunlight beginning to break through the gray clouds. The smell of the healing herbs was suddenly replaced with the aroma of stew, but Inu-yasha still was in no mood.

"Well now, looks like we're in for some much needed sun for a change" Miroku commented, pulling back the entry flap and taking a look outside. "It's about time too; it was getting stuffy in here. Sango, would you like to accompany me? I would very much like to check in on the villagers and see how they fared during the storm."

Sango blinked in surprise. "Uh…I ...I guess so."

The demon slayer gave a quick glance over to the hanyou, who seemed oblivious of their conversation, ignoring them completely.

"Sango…"

She joined the monk as he escorted her outside.

"You go on ahead," he said. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." Nodding, Sango left the hut leaving Miroku alone with the injured dog demon. Immediately the monk could sense Inu-yasha's apprehension to speak. Understandably he didn't think the hanyou would be willing to open up, giving the poor state he was in and all that had happened already. Still, a willing ear never hurt anyone. Miroku had been successful once before; wouldn't hurt to try again. He took a seat right next to Inu-yasha's bedside, got himself comfortable and patiently waited, even helping himself to a bowl of stew. If the hanyou wasn't annoyed before, he was now. The last thing he wanted was another heart to heart talk. Why couldn't the monk just mind his own damn business?

"I'm glad to see that you're on the mend. I have to admit; I was worried that maybe Naraku's miasma might've…"

"Does it look like I want to talk to you bouzu?!" Inu-yasha growled loudly, sitting straight up from his bed and getting right in the monk's face. The sudden movement caused his body to stiffen in pain, which he bore in silence. The monk made a quick gesture to the still sleeping priestess and the kistune. As the pain subsided, Inu-yasha sat brooding quietly. "So, what do you want?"

"Nothing much really. I was actually starting to miss that lovely attitude of yours."

"Keh….baka."

Miroku managed a smile. "But seriously, how are you feeling, Inu-yasha? I mean…are you..."

"I know what you mean, alright!" the hanyou fired back. "You don't have to tip-toe around the subject like an idiot, you know. I know what you're trying to say."

Miroku put down his bowl of stew and inched himself closer. "So, tell me then."

Inu-yasha's shoulders slumped with a heavy sigh as he stared back at his injured hand. In his mind, he pictured clearly the battle he fought against Kagome. The entire confrontation played again and again before his eyes on a loop. Subconsciously, Inu-yasha tried to conjure up an image Kagome's face to comfort him as he did before, but it didn't work. All he could think of was the cold-hearted person that Naraku had turned her into…and in a series of sharp flashes he remembered the stomach turning sight of his lips against hers That was enough for him to feel his anger again a thousand times over. Miroku heard the hanyou suck in a deep breath of air suddenly, watching his actions carefully. He saw his comrade begin to tremble in a bottled rage. Unable to think of anything else, Inu-yasha fumed as the memory would not fade from sight.

The image mocked him.

"Inu-yasha?" Miroku placed his hand on the hanyou's shoulder, snapping him out of his red rage. Unbeknownst to him, Inu-yasha had tightened his hand into a shaking fist. Opening up his hand, he saw the red stain had spread some. He sighed again and looked back at the concerned monk.

"I really messed things up this time, bouzu."

"I don't think beating yourself up about this will solve anything. You're already a mess."

Inu-yasha turned away to look back at his bleeding hand, melancholy. "I never wanted this to happen."

"Of course; we all know that Inu-yasha. None of us wish that kind of fate on anyone. But as I've said before, you shouldn't blame yourself for any of this. For one thing, it does no one any good. All it does is bring more sadness for everyone, and I think we all have our fair share of that" said Miroku, although he knew it was pointless. Try as he might to convince him otherwise, he knew that the hanyou would continue to place the blame on himself. That was just how stubborn he could be sometimes. "Another thing," he went on, "you have to believe that there still some hope. I know that it's hard considering, but to simply give up is exactly what Naraku wants. You know that."

Inu-yasha shook his head. "I never said that I was giving up, monk. I'm still alive aren't I?"

"At the moment, barely," Miroku joked. "In all seriousness, this is a whole new situation that we've found ourselves in. Before, we only had to concern ourselves with finding the remaining jewel shards and defeating Naraku, but now…," he trailed off before starting again. "I can understand how you must be feeling Inu-yasha. The thought of Kagome standing along side someone like Naraku; the very idea is hard for any of us to fathom. I don't want to think of her as our enemy anymore than you do. That's not who she is to me. There's no question that she could've made that decision of her own free will; Naraku had to change her in someway."

"Change her? The bastard brainwashed her, monk! He has her believing that I didn't want her around anymore, and that I preferred Kikyo instead of her!"

Miroku took in a deep breath, looking quite serious. "And did you?"

"No, damn it!" Inu-yasha shot back. "I mean…I…I just didn't…"

Seeing that it wasn't his place to ask anyway, Miroku raised his hand to silence the hanyou. "Never mind, that's not important. Whatever the case, the truth of the matter is that now we have to concern ourselves with Kagome as well as Naraku. Clearly, his intentions were to throw us off by having Kagome fight you. He probably thinks that with her at his side, he's somehow protected. Not only he can have Kagome seek out the remaining jewel shards for him, but he also knows that we would have a hard time confronting her in battle. From here on in, it's not going to get any easier; that I can promise you. How we plan on handling this situation is going require careful planning if we intend on rescuing Kagome at all."

Inu-yasha looked at Miroku with a questioning glare. "What exactly are you getting at?"

"This isn't easy for me to say, Inu-yasha, but it's something that needs to be said. As you were sleeping, Sango and I discussed the matter, trying to come up with solutions. While our main priority is getting Kagome back safe and unharmed, it would be unwise not to consider the consequence if we were to fail. I know that you of all people will do all that's in your power not to fail, but still I must ask you. Inu-yasha, if by some unseen chance that Kagome can not be saved, what will you do then?"

Inu-yasha nearly felt his heart stop from the shock of such a question. How could Miroku ask him such a thing? If his intentions were to make him feel better, this was not the way do it. Still, the hanyou couldn't lie and say that he never considered the idea. When it was Kikyo, he once thought that perhaps that way to truly free her was to let death claim her. Now that the priestess was gone, Inu-yasha could take some comfort in the fact that Kikyo did not have to suffer any longer. But could he say the same for Kagome? To lose her as he had lost Kikyo…there was no way he could survive that way. There was just no way.

And yet, the monk awaited his answer.

"Inu-yasha?"

Steeling himself as best he could, the hanyou let out a heavy sigh. "The last thing I would ever want for Kagome is to see her suffer the same way that Kikyo did. I promised that I would always protect her…and I will. So, I will do what I have to do. Understand?"

Closing his eyes, the monk nodded. "I guess that's a good enough answer."

And with that, Miroku rose from his seat and started to leave. "I would suggest getting some more rest and maybe try eating something as well. It would help regain your strength faster. I don't think we'll be leaving the village anytime soon, at least not until you're ready."

"Keh, which is another way of saying that you're not ready to leave yet, right monk?"

True, Miroku wasn't ready to leave the village so soon. In actuality he thought the group needed more time to come to grasp with what happened to them. They had all suffered the same loss, and needed the extra time to get through it in their own way. The coming days were going to be just as hard as the two months it took looking for their kidnapped friend. For now, it was best that their time be spent in reflection. As Inu-yasha receeded back into himself in deep thought, Miroku rummaged inside the sleeves of his robes. If his words wouldn't give the hanyou any kind of comfort, then he could at least give him something that would help.

"Here," he said. "I believe that this belongs to you. I managed to collect them after the fight was over. I hope I got them all."

Carefully, Miroku placed into Inu-yasha's open palm the prayer beads of subjugation, strung back together.

At first, Inu-yasha was too surprised to say anything. He was speechless, staring at the beads in his hand. He had almost forgotten that Kagome had cut the necklace off of him during the battle. Gradually, his emotions changed from surprised back to sorrow. In a sense he thought, when Kagome cut the beads from his neck, it was like she had severed the bond the two of them had shared, like she was saying good-bye to him forever. Strange; without the beads around his neck, Inu-yasha felt almost naked. They had become apart of him for so long. He had cursed them since the day that old woman put it on him, but now, they were all he had left of Kagome. Putting them back around his neck would be pointless. It would just not be the same. The familiar sharp pinch of misery had the hanyou's heart like a knife. It was an obvious struggle not to start weeping in front of the monk, so Inu-yasha shut his eyes tight and cradled the prayer beads close to his body as he started to shake.

Miroku could see that his friend was in pain, but figured that it was probably best to leave him in privacy for awhile. He turned away and started walking out of the hut. A glance towards the sky and the monk saw that the clouds were beginning to gather. It would be raining again soon. Inside his own heart, Miroku could feel the same ache beginning to grow. It was almost tragic. He brought in a deep but shaking breath, blinking back a few escaping tears as he left in search of Sango. He was the lucky one. With the demon slayer, he had someone he could share his pain with.

But for Inu-yasha, there was no one now.

He was alone.

* * *

The storm hadn't caused that much damage as Sango had first suspected. A few homes had been washed out, but they were repairable. Standing at the river's bank, the demon slayer watched, her arms wrapped around her to keep her warm from the chilly air as villagers were already beginning to rebuild. Rolling thunder could still be heard, so they would have to work fast if they wanted their homes ready for the next drizzle. Aside from that, the villagers' worries were minor.

Sango felt envious.

At that moment, a group of children caught her attention. Using this opportunity to play and splash in mud puddles, they were engaged in a lively game of tag until a small boy tripped and fell face first into the muddy water. Stunned at first, the child then burst into a long wail. Before Sango had the chance to help the boy, she stopped when an older girl came to the boys rescue. She helped the boy back to his feet and started cleaning some of the mud off with her kimono sleeve.

"I told you to be careful," she said sternly. "Now look, you've broken one of your sandals."

"Onee-san!" the boy cried as he wrapped his arms around the older girl's waist.

"Hey, you're supposed to be a boy! Cut it out!"

Sango didn't know how long she stood mesmerized by the two siblings. To her, it was like watching a scene from her past being played out before her eyes. Before long the elder sister was leading her brother back home hand in hand as the boy continued to sniffle. Sango was almost sad to see them go; she was just about to run after them when she stopped herself. Strange she thought; after coming so far in her travels, one would think that she would have gotten used to the idea of not having her brother around. But that was impossible. Being the oldest of her family, it was naturally born instinct that Sango would be her brother's protector. It had been that way since Kohaku was born, she remembered. There were so many fond memories that she treasured that always brought her great comfort. But with time, those memories seemed too good to be real, given all the she had been through. Sango wanted with all her heart to believe that there was a chance that she could get Kohaku back. Her brother was so precious and dear to her. Why try and hide it? Kohaku was the only family she had left aside from Kirara. Even so, the ever constant reminder that loomed over her was the fact the Kohaku's life was bonded to a single jewel shard that kept him alive. If she had any hope of defeating Naraku, then Sango would have to take away Kohaku's shard.

Doing so would kill her brother.

Sango had to deal with the pain of losing her brother before. She didn't think she could live with herself if she had to be the one to take his life. Of course, Kohaku would be freed from the demon's hold, but all she ever wanted was to live in peace with him ever since their village was destroyed. All she ever wanted was to have her little brother back in her life once again.

As she walked along the river's bank, Sango wondered about the possibilities. At one time, she was ready to end Kohaku's life…and her own as well. Back then, she thought it was a better solution than having her brother back in Naraku's hold. At that time, Sango had thought that death was the only answer. Now it seemed she had to consider that same idea again…only this time it concerned Kagome. Since their journey began, the two of them had become close, almost like sisters, and her drive to rescue Kagome was just as strong as her want to save her brother. But Sango had to be brutally realistic about the situation – there was a chance that both Kohaku and Kagome were lost. Miroku had talked about the matter with her while they looked after Inu-yasha, which wasn't an easy thing to do. After some time, they had come to the fact that Kagome was too innocent to have to endure Naraku's cruelty, and if they had to with no other alternative, they would end her life in order to save her. Sango stopped in her tracks as the full force of that idea hit her like a punch in the gut. Since the whole ordeal began, she did her best to stay strong. She did her best to keep believing that there was still hope.

But even if she were invincible, she was still human; a pitiful human who missed her friend and her brother terribly. Gradually, the tears started to come. Her body begun to shake with chocked up sobs. Sango wrapped her arms around herself tightly, trying to stop herself, but it wasn't enough. Sinking to her knees, Sango wept long and openly. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to cry about her loss. Unwanted emotions would've been a distraction. But that didn't seem to matter anymore. Now all she wanted to do was cry and cry until she couldn't do it anymore.

"Sango…"

A soft voice caught her attention suddenly. Sango looked up and saw Miroku standing nearby, staring at her. The obvious worry in his eyes was there. Without so much as a second thought, Sango jumped to her feet, tears rolling down her cheeks and rushed into the monk's arms.

"Houshi-sama!" she cried.

Miroku held her in a firm embrace, letting her cry all she wanted. The monk didn't need ask what she was thinking in order to understand, and quietly his own tears started to fall. Overhead, the first few droplets of rain begin to fall along with the low hum of thunder. The sky seemed to cry along with them as the tense grey clouds took over the sky once again, covering it up in nothing but total gloom for all to see.

* * *

When he walked out of the small shrine house, Inu-yasha was surprised to see that it was raining here as well.

After being cooped up in Kaede's hut for so long, the hanyou was starting to feel like he was a prisoner. The smells of the medical herbs were enough to make him want to puke. He left in a hurry, but didn't get very far after he realized that he had no place to go, not in the condition he was in. Even if his injuries were healing, his body was still sore. For awhile, Inu-yasha simply wandered aimlessly around the village like a lost puppy. When the rain started up again, Inu-yasha paid it no mind. Eventually, he found himself at the Bone Eater's well where he stood in a daze staring down the empty blackness. In his mind, the hanyou knew that there was really no reason for him to go through at the moment, but yet he couldn't tear himself away from the structure. With his robes gradually becoming soaked, Inu-yasha couldn't think of any other place where he could be alone.

Without any other alternative, he jumped into the well.

When he arrived on the other side, he spent several minutes alone in the darkness of the shrine house, sitting at the bottom of the well with only his thoughts. Talk about deja-vu; it wasn't that long ago that Inu-yasha had come through the well with the intentions of telling Kagome's family what had happened to her. But like a coward, he couldn't do it. The Higurashi's still had no idea and even now Inu-yasha didn't know he had the strength to tell them. They had to know that something was amiss, mainly due the fact that they hadn't seen nor heard from Kagome in two months. They had to be worried. Even so, Inu-yasha didn't want to be the one to tell them that Kagome had been kidnapped and brainwashed by someone as devious and malicious as Naraku. The hanyou no doubt in his mind that they would probably place the blame on him; they had to.

Inu-yasha had done so already.

Eventually, Inu-yasha emerged from the shrine house. The weather in this time period was just as dark and depressing as it was in the feudal era. The sky above him was nothing but empty drab and heavy, heavy sheets of rain falling to earth. Inu-yasha walked about the shrine compound, lost, and soon stopped before the large family tree. The very same tree that Kikyo had sealed him to fifty years ago, and it was the same tree where Kagome found and freed him. He stepped over the shrine ropes and gently placed his hand against the solid bark, letting his fingers trace over the notched impact of Kikyo's arrow. Fifty years, and it was still there. His memory of that day was still fresh in his mind. Since his release, there wasn't a day that he didn't think about it. That was the day that his fight with Naraku truly began. Fifty years going on strong. Sometimes, Inu-yasha wondered if he would ever defeat Naraku. His quest had long consumed him that he though it be difficult to just simply live life, if he could be so lucky. Sighing heavily, Inu-yasha then remembered something. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out the beads of subjugation to look at them again. Here, he realized that his quest was no longer about defeating his nemesis anymore. Now it had taken on something different, something much more crucial. It wasn't just about Naraku or the jewel shards, but Kagome as well.

If anything, Kagome was so much more important than any jewel shard. Somewhere without his ever noticing it, it became a natural thing to wake up and to find Kagome always at his side. Even when it was a life and death matter, she showed no fear. That was something that Inu-yasha was always amazed to see. Kagome wasn't afraid of anything that came her way. She'd faced any challenge head on without a second thought. Maybe Inu-yasha was wrong to think that she was just another weak human, but even with all that strength, it never stopped him from worrying about her. His ambition in becoming full demon came from more than just the want to be strong but also the desire that he would be able to protect those he cared about. It was painfully obvious to see that he wasn't capable of protecting anyone as a hanyou. The proof of his weakness was in his clenched palm and the empty space at his side.

* * *

"So, Inu-yasha has left, has he?"

"Aye. He was gone when I awoke. I do not know where he could've gotten off to."

The elderly priestess stared at the shrine with a grieved stare. A small bouquet rested at her feet along a burning stick of incense. Behind her Miroku stood idly holding an umbrella to shield them both, watching as the old woman began to pray. He followed suit, muttering a silent pray of his own. Kaede had wanted to wait until the rain had stopped so that she might pay her respects to Kikyo's memory as she had done for years, but something in her could not wait. When the monk and taijiya had returned to her hut, she had asked one of them to accompany her. Sango stayed behind with Shippo while Miroku left with Kaede. A sound of rumbled thunder echoed above as raindrops pit-pattered around them. As Kaede finished her prayer, she turned away from the shrine and started to head back to her hut with Miroku close behind. He noticed that the old woman's steps were slower than usual, and the look on her face gave the impression that she was deep within thought. The shadowy gaze in her eyes was distinct for a troubled mind.

"I wouldn't worry so much about Inu-yasha, Kaede-sama. I don't think he'd be so foolish to run off to search for Naraku – even in his condition. If I know him, he probably just wants to be on his own for awhile; I'm sure he'll be back soon" said the monk.

"It is not Inu-yasha whom I am worried about, young monk" Kaede replied.

Miroku sighed heavily. "I know it isn't."

"You are going to have to be extra cautious from now on. If we didn't have a weakness before, we do now and Naraku knows it. And he will exploit it each chance he gets it. From everything that you've explained to me, houshi-sama, it sounds like Naraku's intentions are to use Kagome against the lot of you. If what you say is true, then everything has changed now. You can expect a hard road ahead, with much, much danger. I hope you are ready for such a thing," Kaede finally managed to say, her voice filled with much seriousness.

Miroku was hesitant for a moment as he tried to come up with the right words to say to the old priestess. "I am prepared, as is Sango, although I'm not so sure about Inu-yasha," he said. "I can't help but worry. He has said that he does not wish to see Kagome suffer the same way that Kikyo had to suffer, and that he will do what he has to do. But I'm afraid as to what he means by that, Kaede-sama."

"Aye…that is troublesome. But more importantly, I wish to know what it is you plan to do."

Miroku pressed his lips together. They twitched and strained, as though with the effort to contain his answer. He pondered. Confliction clouded his eyes. Miroku had suffered agonies of doubt ever since returning to the village, and now everything seemed to be becoming all the more hopeless. Shameful; for a monk of many talents, opportunism wasn't one of them at the moment. Having not said anything for a while, Kaede stopped walking; letting the monk venture a few steps ahead before he realized it. He looked back at the old woman whose face was stern but her eyes shimmered with emotion.

"What do you plan to do, houshi-sama?" She asked again.

"I'm not sure, Kaede-sama," he replied. "My choices are conflicted, I'm afraid. I do not wish to say that all hope is lost for Kagome, but I can not deny that there might not be much I can do for her, given from what I have already seen. Even if we're to rescue Kagome, she might not be the same person anymore. I was there; I've seen just how powerful an influence Naraku has over her." He paused as the memory of the kiss returned and faded just as quickly. "Still, even if that were true," he continue, "I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't do whatever was in my power to help her in whatever way I can. I guess what I'm hoping for the most is that when the time comes, Kagome will be spared from any more suffering."

Somehow, that answer seemed to be enough for the old priestess. She walked back up to Miroku under the umbrella, nodding her head. "That is what I pray for most of all, houshi-sama. That thought of Kagome sharing my onee-san's fate would break my heart. Kikyo-oneesama was forced to live in this world, and while she lived, all her soul did was suffer. That same kind of suffering awaits Kagome, at the hands of Naraku. My prayer was not just for my onee-san, but for her as well."

"Kaede-sama…"

"Save her, Miroku," the old woman choked. "You must."

With a deep sigh, the monk nodded, finding new resolve in the elder's words. Suddenly, the mood was broken as a panicked villager appeared, running as fast as he could right up to Kaede and Miroku. He was soaked and breathing heavily against the rain. "Kaede-sama! Kaede-sama!!"

"Soshi, what is the matter?"

"You must come quickly, Kaede-sama! Demons have appeared at the end of village!!"

"Demons?" Miroku sounded surprised. "How can demons be here and so close to the village? What kind of demons are they? Can you tell me?"

"I'm not really sure myself," said the villager, "but I did hear someone say that they were wolf demons."

Kaede blinked in surprise. "Wolf demons?"

"Kouga."

* * *

"Are you sure that this is the right village?"

The wolf prince looked around his surrounds then at his comrades with much question. He hated being lost. He had never traveled to this part of the country before and with the weather, he was hopelessly turned around. Kouga had been traveling for day's non-stop following rumors of vicious demon attacks that sounded suspiciously like the handy work of Naraku. To be sure, he wanted to visit the village where Kagome had been staying at and see if she had heard anything. He had just arrived when the rain started. At first glance, it appeared to be just another human village, nothing very special. He couldn't pick up on Kagome's scent thanks in part to the rain. Doubtful, he stared at the two wolf demons for some answer as they stood soaked and sniffling.

"Well? Where the hell are we?"

"I…I think we're in the right place," the wolf Ginta sneezed. "Let's stop here, anywhere for a rest, okay?"

"Geez, you guys whine like newborns. What's wrong with you; you're demons for crying out loud!!"

"Yeah, drenched demons!" Hakkaku shouted back. "Come on Kouga! We've been running around for days. Can't we take a break?"

"Hey, look over there!!"

At that moment, Ginta pointed as the old priestess Kaede and Miroku suddenly appeared with a nervous group of villagers following close behind them. Miroku motioned to Kaede to stay back as he would deal with the wolf demons himself.

"Well, looks like guys were right after all" Kouga praised. "I guess you have earned yourselves a break."

"Kouga, what are you doing here?" asked the monk as he approached them cautiously.

"What do you think? I'm here to see Kagome, what else? There've been some really weird rumors going around, so I wanted to know if she knows anything about them," he said. "But why am I wasting time here with you? Where's Kagome? I want to talk it over with her."

Miroku hesitated, turning his eyes away as to not look Kouga in the face. This would be difficult. Obviously, the wolf demon didn't know about what had happened after their departure from Mount Hakurai. He had no idea that Kagome had been kidnapped by Naraku. If Miroku were to tell him now, then it was certain that Kouga would be irate. Since the day that Kouga proclaimed his unwavering love and loyalty for Kagome, much to the angered dismay of Inu-yasha, the wolf demon had become very protective of his 'mate'. And so, having to break the news of recent developments was the last thing that Miroku wanted to do, out of fear of how Kouga would handle it.

"Hey! Why won't you answer me, monk?!" Kouga sounded frustrated. "Are you hiding something from me? Spit it out!!"

"Kouga, I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but…"

"What are you talking about? Where's Kagome? I want to talk to Kagome!"

"That's just it. It's about Kagome. I'm afraid that something has happened."

* * *

**I don't quite know**

**How to say**

**How I feel**

**Those three words**

**Are said too much**

**They're not enough**

**If I lay here**

**If I just lay here**

**Would you lie with me and just forget the world?**

"**Chasing Cars" – Snow Patrol**

Inu-yasha had managed to sneak into the house without being noticed.

He used the window that led into Kagome's bedroom, only to find it dark, empty and untouched. It appeared that no one had been in the room for a long time. Everything was the same. Nothing was out of place as far as he could tell. Downstairs, he could hear the muffled movement and conversations coming from the Higurashi family below, who had thankfully not acknowledged his presence yet. Rather than alert them, Inu-yasha left the dark, not turning on any lights.

Having spent so much time outside, he was completely drenched. The hanyou's robes were weighted down, heavy from the rain. He was dripping wet, leaving puddles on the tatami matted floor, but paid it no attention. And he smelled. Inu-yasha smelled just like, well, a wet dog.

In a strange way, Inu-yasha almost felt guilty for being there. Like he was violating someone else's property, even though he had made many trips to this era in the past. Mostly those trips were to drag Kagome back through the well. He never could quite understand the whole reasoning behind all those 'tests' or 'exams' that seemed to mean the world to Kagome. He couldn't see how they were any more important than what they were questing for. But Inu-yasha would let Kagome come home, sometimes with no other choice rather than get a back breaking 'sit' command in return. But never for too long of course. Come to think of it, the only time he let Kagome return home for anything else was when she became sick with a cold. Inu-yasha remembered off hand how he spent the night at her bedside like some loyal pet with the Tetsusaiga at the ready. Not that he needed it though, simply out of habit. In time Inu-yasha had come to understand that there were fewer dangers in this world than in his.

He didn't quite know how long he had been standing fixed to one spot in the center in the room. Inu-yasha's body refused to move. All around him, he could pick up the distinct scent of Kagome. It was everywhere, on everything. Years and years of her smell surrounded him. He took in a deep breath of the aroma, allowing it to fill him and a noticeable shudder went through him. It seemed like ages since he last came in contact with such a sweet smell. It was so strong that it sent him reeling as Inu-yasha flopped down on the bed. Here, the scent was its strongest. He rolled over onto his side, burying his nose into the pillow and inhaled deeply. Again, the fragrance was enough to send the hanyou on a spiral of emotions. It was almost as if she were laying right there next to him. Unheard of, but it had been such a long time that Inu-yasha almost forgot all about Kagome's scent or what it did to him every time he happened to catch it on the wind. Before, the scent would bring nothing but comfort, but now all it did was only remind him of what he lost. Even when he saw her again, it wasn't the same. Her scent was overpowered by Naraku's miasma.

Once again, he took out the beads of subjugation and laid them next to him. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that both the scent and the necklace was all he had of Kagome now. This scent was all he had to remind him of who Kagome used to be before everything started to fall apart. Inu-yasha continued to breathe in deeply, gripping the pillow even closer to him. There was much pain inside him. Not physical pain; he could stand that. It was the other pain – the postponed, delayed, denied and shadowy pain that he could not bear. Without Kagome at his side, the hanyou had only memories. That wasn't good enough for him. He wanted more. He wanted things back the way they were before. But most of all, he wanted to be forgiven. Through all his efforts, he couldn't even protect one life. Curling into himself, he remembered what Naraku had said to him that day he fought against Kagome.

'"_Do you want to know what happened to Kagome, when you left her in your search for Kikyo? On that day, I could sense the heartache she felt for you. How much she wanted to comfort the grief you felt for Kikyo, and yet you brushed her aside. Your selfishness caused her downfall in the end. When she finally came to me, Kagome was already half way gone in her doubt and despair."'_

Doubt and despair…something he knew all too much about. With the rain outside sounding heavier, that heartless bastard's words echoing in his head and Kagome's pillow pulled closely to his face, Inu-yasha shut his eyes. The heavy rainfall masked the suppressed whimpers as his tears fell from his eyes.

He laid in silence for sometime when suddenly he heard the door start to jerk. Inu-yasha's white ears twitched in a panic; someone was coming into the room. Without wasting a second, the hanyou jumped from the bed and made a quick break for the window. At the last minute, he managed to get one leg out when in walked Mrs. Higurashi, who let out a startled yelp at the sight of the dog demon.

"Oh my goodness!," she breathed out. "You scared me. I didn't know that you were in here."

Inu-yasha stood dumbfounded and at a loss for words, but greeted the woman anyways.

"I was just…coming in from the rain, that's all," he lied. "And I'm sorry if I scared you."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Look at you; you're soaking wet! You shouldn't stand here like that or you'll catch a cold." Mama walked closer to the hanyou, reaching out her hand to him. "Come with me. I'll find you something to wear while those dry. Are you hungry? There's some dinner left over if you'll like some. Umm…is Kagome with you?"

Shamefaced and uncomfortable, Inu-yasha felt like he was trapped, literally pushed up against a corner. Words eluded him again, and yet he needed to say something .Here he was face to face with Kagome's mother after having avoided confrontation for such a long time. His mouth was dry and his body went rigid. Inu-yasha looked away meekly so that Mrs. Higurashi could not see the grimace on his face. She quickly caught it and stepped closer to him. With a delicate hand that she placed on his shoulder, Mama turned Inu-yasha's face towards her. There was an obvious shiny glaze in his eyes that showed signs of tears. She could sense his nervousness about something. In a soft voice that sounded just as a mother should, she looked at the hanyou and asked, "What happened?"

Inu-yasha flinched.

"Where's Kagome?" she asked again.

* * *

The rain came and went.

Inu-yasha had returned to the feudal era, feeling drained and emotionally tired. He walked slower than usual as he headed back to the village, leaving behind him the Bone Eater's Well. From here on in, he had no intention of going back. In his mind, the hanyou had no place there. But there were more reasons. After spending considerable time with Kagome's mother, telling her everything he had wanted to say for so long, it seemed like a heavy burden had been lifted off of him. At least the woman knew now what had happened to her daughter. That's not to say that he felt any better about himself. During that time, Inu-yasha had explained everything so fast, thinking that somehow it would hurt her less. To add to his discomfort, the emotions he had been suppressing came flooding back. Though it seemed they held less power over him, they filled him with new resolve. Perhaps it was because of what Mrs. Higurashi had told him before he left. It was something she said that changed his thinking.

He stopped momentarily and gazed down at the village, his face pinched in deep thought. A draft stirred the air, but it was the particular odor that made the hanyou's nostrils flare. Something that smelled like wet fur-musty and foul-caught his attention. The smell of wet earth obscured most of it, but almost instantly the hanyou recognized the source.

A low growl of annoyance began to emerge.

"That mangy wolf…" he muttered.

* * *

Inu-yasha hurried into the village and onward past Kaede's hut. The hanyou lifted his nose, smelling the air and scowled. Kouga was nearby. As if he wasn't in enough of a bad mood, now he had to deal with the likes of the wolf demon prince to make it worse. He neared the edge of the village where he spotted Sango and Shippo standing nervously as if they had been waiting for him. Sango carried her Hirakotsu for some reason. When they saw him, the taijiya with the kitsune on her shoulder quickly ran up to him.

"Inu-yasha, Kouga is here!" the fox demon said right away.

"I know that! Just what does that dumb-ass think he's doing?"

Inu-yasha brushed past the demon slayer and marched in an irradiated huff towards the source of the scent.

"Are you planning to fight him, Inu-yasha?" Sango called back, running up besides him. "You're still not completely healed yet, you know."

"I don't need you to tell me that, but whether or not I'm healed doesn't matter to me. If Kouga wants to fight, then that punk better be more than ready."

Inu-yasha cracked his knuckles in preparation. He reached where a small grouping of villagers had gathered, pushing past them where he could see Miroku and Kaede talking to someone. He could see Kouga and his two subordinates listening to whatever the monk was saying, but couldn't make out what they were talking about. Their faces masked in shock. The wolf princes' eyes were huge and wild, his stance was taut. At some point, as Inu-yasha suddenly appeared out of the gathered crowd, Kouga turned and met with the hanyou's eyes. The monk turned as well, going completely silent. The mutters from the confused villagers went all around. Finally, Inu-yasha spoke.

"Alright," he said, "so what the hell are you doing here, you mangy wolf?"

Shockingly, the wolf prince didn't even dignify that rude remark with a response, rather with a stare instead. A stare that gradually grew more and more into a hard and intense scowl where all of Kouga's sharpened teeth pulled back. Miroku could hear his breathing become heavy. Then suddenly, an animalistic howl emerged from Kouga. Using the full power of the jewel shards in his legs, Kouga bolted towards Inu-yasha, claws out while roaring as if possessed.

"YOU!!!"

Miroku cried out to the villagers.

"Everyone, get out of the way!!"

The panicked villagers screamed as they ran from the wolf demon, cutting through their grouping like a shot. Although Inu-yasha had prepared himself for a fight, nothing could ready him for the seer force of Kouga's blow. The wolf demon tackled him squarely in his chest, knocking the air completely out of him as he speared him. The two tumbled together with Kouga pinning the dog demon underneath him buried in mud. The clash between the two rivals had begun. As the villagers headed for higher ground, Miroku followed by Kaede and the two other wolf demons ran in closer. With Inu-yasha slightly dazed, Kouga began to deliver fisted blows repeatedly across the hanyou's face. His own snarled breathing blocked out the cries coming from Ginta and Hakkaku behind him.

"Kouga, what are you doing?!"

The wolf was unreachable at this point. Anger was fueling his every move, his every thought. Gathering fistfuls of white hair, Kouga violently pulled Inu-yasha out of the mud and onto his feet, punching across his face several more times before bashing forehead against forehead, sending the hanyou sprawling. Wasting no time, he leaped into the air with claws extended and ready. This time, Inu-yasha anticipated the attack. He caught the wolf with a foot to his gut, stopping him in mid-air. With Kouga on the ground, holding his stomach and looking for a breath, Inu-yasha used the moment to get back to his feet. His face was a bloody and bruised mess. Panting, he wiped a thin trail of blood away from his mouth and glared cautiously at his adversary.

"You got a lot of balls attacking me like that, you scrawny wolf. But if it's a fight you want, then bring it on."

"You filthy mongrel…I'll kill you!!"

Kouga balled up his fists again and shot towards Inu-yasha, pushing off with the full power of the jewel. Inu-yasha dodged his first attack; another blow aimed at his already injured face. Despite his speed, the hanyou caught the wolf by his throat and sent him slammed back into the muddy ground. Seemingly unfazed, Kouga pushed himself back to his feet. Inu-yasha back stepped away from the wolf, ducking and weaving out of reach from his claws. Quickly he reached down to his waist to the Tetsusaiga's hilt and unsheathed the immense blade, using it as a shield. The impact of each blow felt like a tremendous heavy weight was being dropped down from above. Kouga was determined to break through the sword if he had to just to get his hands on Inu-yasha. His strength was extraordinary. Dropping to one knee, the hanyou pivoted, swinging the blade hoping to catch Kouga across the middle. The wolf dodged, back-flipping out of range, then returned again with lightning speed face to face with his opponent. With a loud growl, Kouga delivered a hard crack against Inu-yasha's face, then another and another, left and right then left again. Inu-yasha stumbled back off balanced. Before he could recover with his sword, Kouga's fist shot straight up in a fierce upper cut that snapped the hanyou's head back. Blood splattered across the field. As he glared back at Kouga, Inu-yasha saw his fist tightly balled and stained with his own blood. The wolf demon stood firmly rooted to the ground as his body heaved with boiling rage.

"Face your death like a man, you coward!" he snarled.

"Overconfident as ever, I see" Inu-yasha replied as the corners of his lips rose in a smile.

"I swear; I'm going to finish what I started once and for all with you. So help me, I'm going to make you pay!"

"What? What are you going on about wolf boy?"

Moving with increasing aggressiveness, the wolf demon dashed back into the fight. Inu-yasha steeled himself against each impact that came at him. The force of Kouga's attacks was beginning to show as his knuckles peeled and bleed over the blade, yet he remained relentless. During this whole altercation, Miroku and Kaede along with the two wolf subordinates watched with great solicitude. It would've been foolish to rush in and try to interrupt the brawl. Obviously this was something that had to be settled between the two demons alone. A loud cry of pain went up as Inu-yasha finally managed to land a hit against the wolf demon. Kouga reared back, his shoulder bleeding from a long gash made by the Tetsusgaia. His comrades gasped in concern. At that moment, Miroku looked over his shoulders as he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Sango appeared with Shippo riding on her shoulder.

"Houshi-sama, we have to stop them!" she cried, spotting the two demons.

"I don't think you want to be one to pull those two apart, Sango. They're liable to kill each other if given the chance."

"You're just going to let this continue?"

"What choice do we have at the moment?" Miroku replied with a sigh. "Kouga is dominating this fight and is much too dangerous to even approach. The best we can hope for is that Inu-yasha's body can hold up long enough."

Kouga was a warrior in his prime, his skills at the apex. Never had he meet anyone his better before. In addition, he was driven by his messianic disgust and disdain of his rival. He had waited for this moment, for a chance to combat the dog demon in a fight to the bitter end. There was no fear for himself, no doubt that he would be the victor. All that mattered now was getting his hands on the mongrel and beating him within an inch of his life. That passion was evident. Inu-yasha could see it in the wolf's mad eyes and his movements. The two combatants fought their way across the wet and muddy field. Continuously Kouga pressed the attack without showing any signs of fatigue. Leaping and spinning and somersaulting with increased strength added by the jewel shard, he focused all his attention on the hulking blade. Inu-yasha realized what he was trying to do. The Tetsusgaia was his only defense. If he were to have any chance, he would have to act drastic. Just then, he swung the blade, narrowly missing Kouga's gut. As the wolf jumped for safety, Inu-yasha didn't waste time and sent a powerful Kaze no Kizu wave right at him. Kouga's feet touched the ground just as he saw the surge. Swiftly, he dodged but then heard the hanyou cry out again a second wave. With each rushing swell, the wolf managed to dodge. Finally, before Inu-yasha could raise his sword again, Kouga bolted, legs pumping at such a speed that even he feared he might break apart. He charged out abandoning any pretense of his life, and cried out in fury as he speared Inu-yasha straight through for a second time.

Inu-yasha felt the Tetsusgaia leave his hand, falling away as Kouga carried him for what seemed like miles. After some time, the wolf stopped running, but not before he sent the hanyou slamming into the earth. Although the soft mud cushioned the impact somewhat, the pain was still tremendous. For a minute, Inu-yasha thought he heard his back snap. As he tried to sit up, he gagged loudly as Kouga's strong hands suddenly wrapped themselves around his throat, squeezing tightly. Inu-yasha tried desperately to pry them off, clawing franticly. Through one opened eye, he saw the wild glare in Kouga's face, permanently fixed on him. He was panting heavily, almost shuddering through clenched teeth. Inu-yasha could feel the heat in his face rise as his windpipe was crushed even tighter. Just then, he heard the wolf prince whisper something.

"You despicable mutt…how could you? How could you let it happen?"

"Wha…what are you talking about, you scrawny wolf?" Inu-yasha choked.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!!" Kouga passionately howled. "I was a fool for thinking it was safe to trust you! I should've known better! This is all your fault! Everything is your fault!!"

Kouga clenched tighter to Inu-yasha's neck, his rage urging him on. The hanyou was on the verge of blacking out as the wolf demon went on.

"That monk told me everything. He told me about Kagome; how she was taken by Naraku and made into his slave." Kouga voice sounded weak and shaky. "Why didn't you stop him, Inu-yasha? Why weren't you protecting her? Go on; give me one good reason why I shouldn't end your stinkin' rotten life right now?!"

Somehow, Inu-yasha found the strength to kick Kouga off of him. Coughing and gasping for a breath, he wobbled to his feet, staring down his rival who was fuming and awaiting his response. For a second, his eyes glanced over to Miroku. Why did that idiot have to tell Kouga? It was none of his business in the first place. But the damage was done. Now he understood the reasoning behind Kouga's anger and why this whole brawl got started. Taming a raging wolf wasn't going to be easy, and Inu-yasha highly doubted he could say anything that would calm him down.

"Answer me!!"

The hanyou's shoulders slumped as he sighed. "It's true," he managed to say. "Kagome was kidnapped by Naraku just after the collapsing of Mount Hakurai."

That statement alone seemed to set off Kouga's anger again. "But that was…? It's been that long?! And just what the hell were you doing?! I'll ask you again; why weren't you protecting Kagome?!"

At first, Inu-yasha stammered over his words. Saying anything would only incur the wolf demon's wrath, he realized. His face was darkened with nothing but pure anger, standing with his eyes squinted in anger and teeth exposed. With that much fury, he was capable of killing on a moment's impulse. Unable to come up with anything, Inu-yasha looked burdened. "Keh, since when do I have to explain myself to the likes of you? That's not any of your damn business!!"

"You're such an incompetent mutt…I can't believe how you could be so stupid!" Kouga charged again as Sango and Miroku and the others continued to look on. This time, the brawl was more hand to hand. Kouga tackled Inu-yasha, splashing mud everywhere. The two wrestled back and forth in a scene that could almost be comical. Hard blows were exchanged left and right as they rolled back and forth, each in an attempt to better the other. At times, Inu-yasha gained the upper hand, landing quick jabs across the wolf demon's face. At other times, Kouga regained his position and would once again be on top of the hanyou with incredible ferocity. Before long, they were both on the verge of exhaustion; Inu-yasha especially. His already beaten body couldn't take anymore punishment for very much longer. He was tired, still standing by sheer will alone. Watching intently, Miroku and Sango had just about had enough. Their concern was on the will being of the hanyou. By the looks of things, he was dead on his feet already. His robes were heavily caked in mud so was his silver hair, completely matted with the stuff. They were just about to interfere finally when they heard Kouga again.

"I should've never left Kagome with you," he said, breathing heavily. "I was a fool to think I could trust you! Against my better judgment, I thought for some reason she'd be somewhat safe with you! But I was wrong." Kouga yanked Inu-yasha roughly by his collar and tossed him limply to the side, punching ruthlessly again and again. "You're incapable of protecting anyone! You couldn't even protect that priestess from Naraku!"

A spark of rage was renewed in Inu-yasha. He let out a loud growl as a tightened fist went up to Kouga's nose, breaking it head on.

"How dare you!!" he roared as Kouga tumbled. Inu-yasha pounced, grabbing handfuls of the wolf's black hair while throwing blow after blow. Afterwards, he finally stood over the subdued demon, panting heavily as he wiped some of the mud out of his face. "Serves you right, you mangy wolf. And anyhow, you really think I'd be dumb enough to let you protect Kagome? You only wanted her around so you could find the remaining jewel shards!"

"Just like you! Face it; you're no better than Naraku!"

"Shut up!"

Kouga's leg reached out and kicked Inu-yasha's stance from under him. The primal scream had barely sounded before he was back on top of the hanyou, claws extended as he went straight for his face. Sango let out a gasp. Unable to take it anymore, she started forward with her Hirakotsu drawn ready to interfere. Unexpectedly, Miroku's hand reached out and stopped her.

"Houshi-sama, what are you doing? We have to stop them!"

"Wait for a moment, Sango," he replied. "I think that Inu-yasha needs to hear this. Inu-yasha has been blaming himself from the very beginning. I think hearing it from Kouga might actually help him."

"What?"

Inu-yasha was back on his feet. His hands were clasped against Kouga's as they dueled for footing. The ground underneath them was so soggy and unstable that it was difficult to stand. Both of them were covered from head to toe with mud, disheveled and barely able to continue. Blood seeped from open wounds. Their eyes were fixed on each other, staring intensely. "If I was there, I would have never let anything happen to her. I would've protected her far better than you ever could! I would've…"

"You keep saying that but the fact remains that you weren't there, Kouga! Sounds to me that you're just as guilty as I am!"

"You make me sick, Inu-yasha! Like I said, a miserable, pathetic half-demon such as you is incapable of protecting anyone! Kagome was far better off with me than with someone like you. She's my woman, and once I get her back, once I rescue her from Naraku, you're never going to get near her again. I'll make sure of that!" Kouga pushed all his strength up against Inu-yasha's.

Inu-yasha pushed back. "The hell you will! Kagome was never your woman, you idiot! The only reason she put up with you was because she was too freakin' nice. Hell, she was humoring you! Call me pathetic; the way you always flirted with her and kept claiming her as your own. Now that was pretty pathetic to watch!"

Kouga threw another balled fist to Inu-yasha, knocking him on his back. "At least I told her how I felt! I'll admit it; I loved Kagome! I loved her more than I loved anyone in my entire life! What about you, Inu-yasha? Prove me wrong and tell me that you had feelings for Kagome as well! Or am I right? The only reason you kept Kagome around was so you could find the rest of the jewel shards! Say it! You never cared about Kagome at all! Hell, at the very least, I said that I loved her."

Inu-yasha had had enough of Kouga's tongue. He leaped to his feet, grabbing Kouga by his armor and sent him slamming into the mud, pinning him down. His lips curled back into a long sneer and with a passionate roar that no one had ever heard from him before, he shouted, "YOU COULD'VE NEVER LOVED HER THE WAY I DID!!"

Everything froze at that instant. Inu-yasha heard himself utter a small gasp, the breath leaving his body all at once and his eyes were wide with disbelief. The others looked on stunned, speechless. Kouga was even surprised, but only for a second, giving him a sour, almost insulting stare. "Is that the first time you've heard yourself say that, mutt?"

With a loud grunt, Kouga threw Inu-yasha off of him. Both combatants had reached their limits. Tired, filthy and bruised, neither one of them had the strength nor the want to keep fighting. Ginta and Hakkaku ran to the wolf prince's side, concerned while Miroku, Sango and Kaede checked on Inu-yasha. "Ye are truly a foolish pup," the old priestess scolded, looking over the fresh injuries. "Sometimes you amaze me with your recklessness."

"You think that idiot wolf could honestly have what it takes to get the best of me, old hag?"

"That's not the point. In your present condition, you had no business fighting in the first place. Such foolishness!"

"Keh, whatever."

Just then, Kouga jumped to his feet, preparing to leave.

"And where do you think you're going?" Inu-yasha shouted.

Kouga whirled back. "While I'm wasting my time here, Kagome is out there somewhere with that maniacal bastard, just waiting for me to rescue her. You can stay here and heal up all you want. I don't have a moment to lose." He turned to his companions. "Come on, we're leaving."

"But Kouga…"

"Wait a minute, you mangy wolf!" Inu-yasha staggered and swayed on his feet as he rose. "What makes you think that you'll be able find Kagome anyway? I searched for months without as much as her scent to track. And another thing," he stopped and sighed as his face turned dark, "Naraku has turned Kagome against us. I don't know how, but I can tell you from experience, Kagome is not the person you'd remember. And she will kill you if Naraku wants her to."

Kouga's face did not change. He remained firm and shook his head in disheartening matter. "Unbelievable. How did you manage to screw things up so much, Inu-yasha? Everything that happens now to Kagome is on your head. I'll be the one to rescue her. I don't need some incompetent half-demon telling me what to do when he's first one I blame for this. Stay here, and let me handle things from now on."

And with that, Kouga was gone.

* * *

As midnight drew near, the sun long since faded away, and the lights of the small homes of the village had been burned out, a shadowy figure stood alone at the grave site of Kikyo. Amid the multitude of stars and the bright moon, his visage was somber as he contemplated his losses. Fresh bandages had been applied to the wounds he had received in his bout with the wolf demon. Bathed and no longer covered in mud, his amber eyes glimmered, focused on the shrine. At his feet, he had placed a small bouquet; a decorous token of respect.

Inu-yasha was beyond tired. Fighting with Kouga in his condition may have not been the best of ideas. Every inch of his body ached. If given the chance, he could very well fall into another exhausted coma. But even with the events of the day, he was unable to sleep. Everyone else had already turned in for the night. He had waited for his chance when he wouldn't be bothered for the opportunity to venture out. As he stood before Kikyo's grave, he found himself remembering back to his conversation with Kagome's mother. He remembered it clearly. Somehow he managed the courage to tell her everything, leaving nothing out that seemed important. By the time he was finished saying what needed to be said, Inu-yasha was nearly out of breath. It was the hardest thing that he ever had to do. After he had practically spilled his guts, the hanyou simply waited for Mama's response. He had expected the woman to tear into him, to tell him how worthless he was and want to know how he could have let something like that happen to her daughter.

What he got was something completely different.

"_He calls himself Naraku," Inu-yasha said quietly. He stared aimlessly out the window of Kagome's room, carefully choosing his words. The silence between him and the anxious mother was profound. His mouth tightened into a thin line as the hanyou prepared himself. "He's a very powerful demon, and my greatest enemy. For quite some time now, Kagome has been traveling with me, helping me in a quest to defeat him. That's the reason why she travels through the well; it's to help me. Although, it can get a bit dangerous over there. There are demons everywhere, and Naraku has others working for him as ruthless as he is. I guess that she never told you any of this? Probably because she didn't want to worry you or something like that." _

_The hanyou paused, looking over at the silent woman who sat calmly on her daughter's bed. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap and her face was expressionless almost detached so that Inu-yasha could not tell what she was thinking. After some hesitance, he continued._

"_Two months ago, I…lost someone very close to me," the sudden waver in his voice was a sign that Inu-yasha was struggling. "Naraku had killed the person and I was unable stop him. At first, I thought I was the only one who was hurting, but really Kagome was hurting as well. She wanted to comfort me, but she couldn't. I didn't want her to. It wasn't long after until I heard a rumor that that person close to me was still alive. I didn't think twice about it, so I left to see if it was true. Now that I think about it, that was the worst mistake I could've ever made."_

"_What happened?" Mama spoke so softly and so suddenly that it surprised Inu-yasha for a moment._

"_It was a trap…set up by Naraku. By the time I got back, it was already too late." _

"_What do you mean?" Mama's voice trembled grimly._

_Inu-yasha swallowed hard and looked over at the woman slowly. "By the time I realized what was going on, Naraku had kidnapped Kagome. I hurried back as fast as I could, but I didn't make it in time. I couldn't…I couldn't save her."_

_A loud thunder clap sounded over them ominous as that menacing silence lasted for an eternity. Inu-yasha waited uncomfortably for Mama's response. When she didn't give him one, the hanyou was left with no alternative but to keep going._

"_Afterwards, I went looking for Kagome. I didn't have any leads or clues that could help me, but I didn't care," he said, finally turning away from the window and finding a place to sit on the floor. "I knew what Naraku was capable of, so the only thing I could think about was just finding her as soon as I could. That was over two months ago, and I never stopped looking. Anyway, you should know that eventually, I did manage to track Naraku down a couple of days ago. Still, it turns out that he was just waiting for the opportunity to make his move. He had Kagome with him." Inu-yasha stammered off suddenly, unwilling to continue. He couldn't go on. There was just no way he could relay the horrible truth to the woman. "I'm sorry," he managed. "I'm so sorry."_

_Mama sighed. _

"_Is Kagome dead?" she said bluntly._

"_No!" Inu-yasha retorted loudly. "No, she's not dead. But she's changed, I guess you could say." _

"How?"

"_Naraku has somehow changed her thinking. Since she was kidnapped, he has her believing whatever he wants her to believe. Naraku has taken a hold of her mind. In other words, he has her brainwashed to think that I'm her enemy. I actually fought with Kagome when I saw her for the first time – after so long."_

_Inu-yasha lifted his injured hand and gave it a firm squeeze. The red stain from before began to grow, bleeding through the bandage. Abruptly, Mrs. Higurashi rose from the bed and left the room without saying a word. Inu-yasha wasn't at all surprised. He had expected to get that kind of reaction. Just then, unexpectedly, Mama came back into the room, carrying a first-aid box. She didn't waste time but quickly went to work mending and rewrapping Inu-yasha's injured hand. The hanyou watched dumbfounded as she took delicate care of his wound, swabbing his bloody gash with ointment. Strangely, he felt an odd sense of calm wash over him; the very same calm he felt whenever Kagome would take care of his injuries. Mama then carefully wrapped new bandages around his hand as understanding suddenly dawned on her face._

"_So, that's why she never came home," she said softly. "I was getting so worried."_

"_I'm so sorry," Inu-yasha whispered. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I just didn't know how."_

"_Well, I'm grateful that you did. I know that it must have been hard for you to come to me with this. Still, I never imagined that that was what she was experiencing every time she went through the well. This Naraku, demons and such – it all sounds incredible." She closed the first aid box and looked at Inu-yasha. "And, that's where Kagome is now? She is with this man called Naraku?"  
_

"_Yes" the hanyou replied, lowering his head and sounding dismal. "That was the last time I saw her. Now I'm back where I started. I don't know how I'm going to find her or even what I'm going to do when I see Kagome again. Will she even want to see me? Will it be like the last time?" Inu-yasha could feel the blistering white-hot anger lick his insides, driving him mad and filling him with the desire to lash out in some way. "DAMN IT!! I'M SUCH A DAMNED FOOL!! WHY COULDN'T I SEE BEHIND NARAKU'S TRICKS?! WHY DID I HAVE LEAVE KAGOME BEHIND?! IT'S ALL MY FAULT THAT THIS HAPPENED!! The hanyou was barely aware that he was screaming out his frustration so loudly that it could be heard through out the house. If Jii-chan or Souta had been home, no doubt it would've gotten their attention. Mama didn't flinch, but watched this poor guilt-ridden creature shake as he drew closer into himself. Inu-yasha's fangs bit into his lip, a thin trail of blood coursed down his chin. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his trembling hands. "I'm so sorry Kagome," he whimpered absently. "Please believe me…"_

"_I believe you."_

_Inu-yasha lifted his head in bewilderment. "For what it's worth, I know that you did everything you could for Kagome; everything that you were capable of doing for her. I can't expect anything else, given the circumstances. Anyone else in that situation would've done the same; perhaps even myself. I know that if I had chance to see someone again that I had lost, I wouldn't waste a moment." She trailed off for a minute, lost in her own thoughts. "So, if you're looking for my forgiveness, you don't need it because I don't see you at any fault. Not in the slightest," Mama said clearly._

_She regarded the hanyou with only a smile, eerily similar to her daughters'. Words weren't enough anymore for Inu-yasha to experience everything he was feeling. Embarrassed and ashamed, he humbly listened to the woman's comforting speech, taking in every word. "One more thing before you go," she said, "I know that you won't stop until you find Kagome. That's just the kind of person you are. I know because Kagome tells me all the time."_

"_She does?" Inu-yasha almost sounded surprised._

"_Oh yes. I have a pretty good idea of what goes on on the other side of the well, judging from what all that she takes with you. Enough food and sweets to feed an army and first-aid supplies as if it were a matter of life and death; you can't really expect me not to notice these things? Her own mother? Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to tell you is this. Kagome trusts you, and so do I. I trust no one else but you." _

_Mama gently took Inu-yasha's hand in hers; giving it a firm squeeze of reassurance. This time, he could read her expression very clearly. Her eyes shimmered with emotion and hope and the sound of her voice was low, almost shaky. "No matter what happens, I know that I can trust you with bringing my daughter home, safe and sound."_

With the memory fading away back into the recesses of his mind, Inu-yasha breathed in a deep sigh. Somehow, his meeting with Mrs. Higurashi had helped him, in more ways that he had imagined. At first, he had expected her to hate him, but instead she received him with nothing but kind words and pure understanding. He expected rejection. No; in some strange way, he wanted rejection. It would've given him a reason to take blame. If the one person that mattered wouldn't forgive him, then why should he forgive himself? After everything was said and done, Inu-yasha was left to make his own decision, and at last he had. No more regrets, he thought. It was time he realized what he was supposed to do. Inu-yasha needed to rescue Kagome, simple. Everyone was right. He didn't have the time to waste thinking back on his mistakes. Not when the life of whom he cared so much for hung in the balance.

Inu-yasha let his hand rest on the shrine monument.

He had already let one life die because of his negligence. He wasn't able to lose another.

"So, this is where I find ye," came a voice behind him. Inu-yasha turned to see the priestess Kaede watching him, her old form hunched over. "Shouldn't ye be asleep by now?"

"Keh, shouldn't you old woman?" the hanyou replied.

"What are ye doing here anyways?"

"Nothing. Just thought I would come here to do some thinking…and to say my goodbyes before I left."

"Left?" the old woman inquired. "And where are ye planning to go at this time at night?"

Inu-yasha sighed and turned away from the shrine. "I figured if I hurry, I still might be able to follow Kouga's scent. I'm not accomplishing anything just by sitting here. With any luck, I might come across something new about Naraku's whereabouts. It's not much but it's all I have to go on at the moment. Maybe if that mangy wolf is smart enough, he might be able to bring that bastard out of hiding."

"Ye are planning to use Kouga as bait to lure out Naraku?"

"I guess you can call it that. Like I said, it's the only thing I can think of. Naraku is twisted enough to where he might send Kagome after Kouga just to see what happens to him. That might be the only chance that I'll have on rescuing her. First things first though; I have to find Kouga before Naraku or Kagome do."

Inu-yasha hurried past Kaede, stopping only when he heard her calling after him. "Aren't ye going to wait for Miroku and Sango to come along?"

The hanyou wearily shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kaede. But this time I have to go alone. I can track a whole lot faster when I'm on my own. Do me a favor though. When Miroku and Sango do wake up, tell them not to follow me and to keep searching for clues the same way we traveled before. I'll try to meet back up with them when I can."

"Aye, I understand. I pray a safe journey for you Inu-yasha."

And that was that. In the darkness of the night, Inu-yasha left the village and followed the trail left by the wolf demon prince. At first, he felt guilty with leaving Miroku and Sango behind, but remained on course. Regrettably, having them around would only slow him down. Plus, with Kagome now their enemy, the hanyou could not risk them getting hurt. As he ran, he thought that if he hurried, he might've been able to catch up to Kouga's pack before the scent got too weak to track. Filled with new resolve, Inu-yasha reached the outskirts of the village in no time. He spared a moment to look back and get in one last look. The possibility that he may not return weighted heavily on him, but this was something that he had to do. Reaching into his robes, he took out the beads of subjugation and placed them back around his neck – where they belonged.

With a deep breath, he dashed back into the darkness, racing farther and farther away from the village and into wherever fate would take him.

* * *

"I don't see why I have to come all the way out here with you. Frankly, this is just a waste of my time."

"Then leave. I never asked for your company anyway. It was Naraku who gave the order."

Kagura smirked behind the blades of her fan as she sat comfortably on a boulder, watching her companion ruthlessly slice away an ogre's head from its shoulders. Kanna stood beside her, saying not a word as usual. All around them were the scattered remains of an ogre tribe, recently killed and dismembered. A gruesome sight for anyone not used to that kind of sight. There had to be at least six all together, each one messing their head. It was a bloody fight that had ended as quickly as it had begun. The gorge that they had been resting in was now heavily polluted with an evil aura. The ogre's blood had completely fouled the nearby river. Growing restless, Kagura called out to the person who was busy gathering up all of the heads.

"What is the point to all of this anyways?" What does Naraku want with all these ogre heads anyway?"

"Naraku has no interest in these demons; only with the knowledge that they can provide for him."

"Knowledge? Just what does he hope to gain from all this nonsense?"

Just then, a bloody ogre head was hurled straight at the wind mistress, which she dodged at the last minute. "How dare you!!"

"You're so useless." Staring back at Kagura with a cold look in her eyes stood Kagome, dressed in black and demon's blood stained all over her hands. The discarded pieces of the ogres; legs, arms torsos laid all around her. In one hand, she carried a bloody blade. Carefully, she grabbed one of the heads and stared deeply into his empty eyes for several intense minutes before finally tossing it aside and gathering up another. "Naraku has ordered me to seek out and kill as many powerful demons as I can find. And I intend to do just that for him."

"Ha, aren't you the loyal one? But you still haven't answered my question," Kagura said, sounding smug. "What is this all about?"

Kagome tossed the head into the river.

"Naraku is searching for something very important," she replied. "He is looking for the border between this world and the afterlife. He searches for the final Shikon jewel shard."

* * *

**Musical Inspiration:**

**Inu-yasha O.S.T. 1.2.3**

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Authors Notes: I'm so glad that I have an ipod!! Really, it comes incrediably handy whenever I write. Thanks to that thing, I've been able to arrange my own soundtracks to my stories. Although I am still getting used to the whole playlist thing, so I am constintly redoing them over and over again. Ah well...Anyway, just to recap, I'm probably going to take a break from this story so that I can work on another that's been begging for my attention. And as always, reviews and comments on this new chapter are always welcomed.


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